A colorful but melancholy whimsy burns at the heart of Finding Neverland, and it is perfectly personified by Johnny Depp in another unconventional performance as playwright J.M. Barrie, creator of Peter Pan. In every scene, Depp gives the subtle but unmistakable impression of a man who would rather live in his imagination than in the real world. It's not that he's leading a miserable life--although his theatrical career and his marriage have both hit a rough patch--but rather that the Barrie of this fantasy-tinged biopic has misplaced his sense of wonder, until while battling writer's block during a day in the park he meets a pretty widow (Kate Winslet) and her four young sons, who inspire his platonic adoration, his inner child, and his legendary departure from stiff theatrical convention. Although the story feels indulgent and oversimplified at times--especially in its many fanciful (and wonderfully staged) illustrations of Barrie's Peter Pan plot ideas springing from the author's mind's eye as he plays with the Davies boys, the Oscar-nominated Finding Neverland makes up for any shortcomings with intricate, intimate performances from its exceptional cast. Highly recommended. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include audio commentary by director Marc Forster, producer Richard Gladstein, and writer David Magee, “The Magic of Finding Neverland” behind-the-scenes featurette (16 min.), outtakes (6 min.), a “Creating Neverland” making-of (3 min.), a featurette with red carpet premiere interview bites (3 min.), three deleted scenes with optional commentary (3 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fun extras package for one of 2004's better films.] (R. Blackwelder)
Finding Neverland
Miramax, 101 min., PG, VHS: $24.99, DVD: $29.99, Mar. 22 Volume 20, Issue 2
Finding Neverland
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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