02/17/2013 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

Magical and Enchanting

There have been a number of Peter Pan films released over many years. From the cult classic, "Hook," to Disney's animated adaption, Peter Pan has gotten more than his fair share of publicity. Disney's Peter Pan has long since been my favorite Neverland adventure put to film, but it seems that it has now been dethroned. Not only is Finding Neverland an engaging and fascinating film, it's also a magical and enchanting experience.

J.M. Barrie is trying to get over the poor reception from his last play by writing a new adventure. To find inspiration, he goes to the park where he meets the Davies, a family of four boys and a widowed mother named Sylvia. Barrie immediately falls in love with the family. Most of the boys enjoy playing with Barrie as they use their imagination to become pirate...

Rating of
3.5/4 

03/26/2012 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

"Finding Neverland" by Yojimbo

Finding Neverland tells the story of playwright J.M. Barrie who finds an escape from his loveless marriage to a joyless social climber and inspiration for his classic work Peter Pan in a young widow and her four sons. Both an interesting and lavishly produced period piece and love letter to the joys of the imagination, this film is a deeply charming and affecting tale judged to perfection by all concerned. The costumes and cinematography are beautiful and the representations on screen of Barrie's imaginary world are lovely to look at. The story by its nature is a little sentimental, but it never feels contrived because of sensitive performances by a quality ensemble cast. Johnny Depp is at his most likable and his understated relationship with Kate Winslet is both believable and moving. D...

Rating of
3/4 

04/23/2008 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

Imaginative, Touching

I have a penchant for films that feature the power of imagination and this is a fine example of that. Aside from an extremely moving score, I loved the acting of pretty much everyone, especially Freddie Highmore. This is one of his first movies and he deserved all the acclaim from both critics and audiences. Every time he was on screen, I felt like he was going to explode because the dramatic range that he had seemed to want to burst out of his small frame. He seems to shine brightest when he's interacting with Kate Winslet and Johnny Depp. Winslet's character reminded me so much of my mom because whenever she'd get sick, she wouldn't see a doctor. Somehow that really got to me, especially when the kids would worry, because I would feel the same way when it comes to my mom. There are many...

Rating of
4/4 

02/08/2008 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

Neverland Found

We all have wanted to become like Peter Pan, to escape the horrors of growing up and fly of course. But then as soon as we grew older, it seemed all that longing was lost. Forgotten in time and just a mere memory of what it would have been like to be free like Peter Pan. This is what this movie is about, a reminder that once in our life we were kids. Kids who are searching for that perfect place, that place with no rules and no grown ups. But does a place like that exist? I know the answer, it does. Inside our imagination there is a place called Neverland which J.M. Barry made us see. I’m really astonished by the impact of the story of Peter Pan gave me. It made me see myself inside Mr. Barry’s shoes. See that beauty is found and we just need a bit of imagination to see it.

Rating of
4/4