By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Marc Forster
Starring: Dustin Hoffman | Freddie Highmore | Ian Hart | Johnny Depp | Julie Christie | Kate Winslet | Radha Mitchell
Country: united_kingdom, united_states
Year: 2004
Running time: 123
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0308644/combined
Michael says: “You can feel the Miramax hand on Marc Foster’s FINDING NEVERLAND, which is a shame, although doesn’t disrupt the film all that much. One suspects that it would have had a lot of the same sentimental elements because they’re so hard to avoid in biopics. FINDING NEVERLAND is superficially a rather odd choice for director Marc Foster, whose previous films include MONSTER’S BALL and EVERYTHING PUT TOGETHER, both contemporary dramas. The binding thread seems to be parenting.
“In FINDING NEVERLAND, Johnny Depp stars as writer/playwright J.M. Barrie. In 1903 London, Barrie’s latest play is a flop, his marriage is stagnating, and his creativity is at a standstill. A chance meeting in the park introduces him to the LLewelyn Davies family, led by Sylvia (Kate Winslet). Her four boys, left fatherless after a bout with cancer, warm to the imaginative hijinks of Barrie immediately… all save one. Peter is struggling through his grief over his father’s death. He sees little need for the creativity and imagination that he shares with Barrie. He is a child who has prematurely aged to adulthood in manner and outlook. Through his association with the Llewelyn Davies family, Barrie constructs his greatest work, Peter Pan.
“The film takes liberties with reality, as all biopics do, mainly by condensing the storyline into the span of a single year, when in fact, according to Scot, Barrie was friends with the family for several years. The performances were strong for the most part. Depp is marvelous at playing gentle eccentrics. I was particularly impressed with Radha Mitchell, who played Barrie’s long-suffering, social climbing wife. Foster must enjoy working with Mitchell as she starred in EVERYTHING PUT TOGETHER. Her understated disappointment laced with ambition is perfectly presented here. She comes across as a real person rather than a plot device to make it okay for Barrie to spend so much time with Sylvia. Kate Winslet as unfortunately playing by the numbers as the struggling single mother who must cope with the inevitable decline of health. Julie Christie is fun, and fairly restrained as Sylvia’s domineering mother. The boys were all delightful, particularly young Peter, played by Freddie Highmore, in a complex, emotional role deftly handled. (He’s scheduled to star as Charlie with Depp in Tim Burton’s forthcoming CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.) Dustin Hoffman (whose affinity to Peter Pan grows apparent; he also starred in HOOK) appears as Barrie’s producer, and Ian Hart shows up in a bizarre supporting turn as Barrie’s friend, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
“The Miramax hand is evident in the sweeping arc and emotional manipulation of the story. Yet Foster manages to keep a good grip on his film, directing a lovely, emotional, yet oh-so quiet and gentle film. Voices are rarely raised, even as marriages are crumbling. Children apologize after they have misbehaved. Unreasonable, overbearing mothers come around after finding that they believe in fairies. 3 1/2 cats”
Bruce says: “The story of FINDING NEVERLAND, how J. M. Barrie was inspired to write Peter Pan, is problematic. In this biopic liberties have been taken to turn fact into neat and tidy fiction, the type that plays better to a large audience. That is a shame. Knowing that the screenwriters tinkered with truth diminishes the impact of dramatic content that is otherwise very strong.
“Barrie (Johnny Depp) first meets the Llewelyn Davies boys while strolling through a London park, trying to seek inspiration by observing what is going on in his immediate surroundings in order to write his daily quota of prose. As time passes, Barrie develops a strong relationship with the Llewelyn Davies family. When the boys’ mother Sylvia (Kate Winslet) succumbs to cancer Barrie becomes their legal guardian. The film has only four boys in the Llewelyn Davies family when in fact there were five. When Barrie first met the eldest boys in real life, both their father and mother were very much alive and two of the boys were not yet conceived. In the film the father of the boys is already dead and the mother is distraught and soon sickly. Another possible fabrication is the role of Sylvia’s mother, a woman who resents the interference of an outsider in her family affairs. Julie Christie is terrific as the tenacious grandmother.
“The virtue of FINDING NEVERLAND is how it depicts the creative process and documents the painful moments when the mind does not cooperate. Johnny Depp does an excellent job portraying a sensitive artist discovering that he relates to children better than adults and, in particular, his own wife. Radha Mitchell (HIGH ART and MELINDA AND MELINDA) is well suited playing his impatient and disillusioned wife. Historians speculate that Barrie was impotent but the movie dances around that supposition amateurishly. The film does accurately document Mary’s affair and divorce proceedings.
“Essentially a costume drama, director Marc Forster handles the establishing of time and place quite well, often focusing on architectural details and designs of the period to carry the mood rather than using large tableaus. Unfortunately Forster fails when attempting to create the magic of Peter Pan on stage. The 1904 show appears more ludicrous than magical.
“Marc Forster is proving to be a director that gets the most out of his actors. MONSTER’S BALL proved that point and the acting in NEVERLAND adds fuel to the argument. Well, there is one exception and that is Dustin Hoffman. This is the second film in a row (following I HEART HUCKABEES) where Mr. Hoffman has lessened the overall quality of the acting. It is nice to see older actors still getting parts and willing to take smaller character roles rather than hold out for one more starring vehicle. However, it is pointless to offer such roles if an actor is not up to the task. Perhaps something less demanding – like a guest appearance on Will and Grace – would be more appropriate for Mr. Hoffman. 3.5 cats”