Movie Reviews
I find that some of the best biopics are about authors. I guess it is simply because we don’t see or hear about them very often; their profession pretty much keeps it that way. As a result, we have no way of knowing about an author’s life except what escapes onto the paper. In “Finding Neverland”, we follow Barrie before, during, and after the creation of Peter Pan. It’s interesting because it shows, step by step, just how that boy who won’t grow up came to life – and, like the film itself, it’s not how you’d expect.
One afternoon, when Barrie is with his dog in the park, writing, he meets the Davis family, Sylvia (Kate Winslet), and her four boys. We learn that she’s raising them on her own because of the untimely death of her husband to cancer. Her mother helps out, but isn’t well-liked by the boys because of her all-work-no-play discipline. When a male figure comes into the picture, they latch on...quite tightly.
Barrie enjoys the latch very well. He finds his imagination working better than ever when he is around the boys. He spends a lot of time with those boys, but at the expense of hardly seeing his wife, who is becoming impatient and restless.
Johnny Depp is Barrie. I’ve viewed Depp’s work very closely in recent years, and have concluded that he is one of the very best actors we have right now. “Pirates of the Caribbean” was great, but would have been just another Jerry Bruckheimer flick if Depp’s Jack Sparrow hadn’t been so pleasantly peculiar. In the same way, “Secret Window” probably would not have work period if Depp hadn’t absorbed Mort Rainy. No different is it here. Depp is flawless and becomes more real with every syllable he says.
Winslet gives another perfect performance this year. She and Depp have a unique on-screen chemistry that we all-too-rarely see anymore. Her four boys, who are wise beyond their years, are remarkable, ever last one of them. Particularly Freddie Highmore, who plays Peter Davis, the inspiration for Pan. Highmore can’t be more than seven or eight, but he has the presence and sincerity of a grown man. I can’t help but think that that had a part in his choosing for the role (for those of you who have seen this).
“Finding Neverland”, seems fragile because it’s a quiet film, but studying it reveals just how stable it is. We have, given to us, a film that could be an hour longer if it really wanted to be, and remain very good in the process. But the filmmakers decided to tell what needed to be told and leave it there. It’s more concise and more powerful that way. When the unexpected happens (and it does happen), we can’t stop the flooding of our emotions. ****