Friday, November 26, 2004
Finding Neverland (2004)
Cast: Johnny Depp (Sir James Matthew Barrie), Kate Winslet (Sylvia Llewelyn Davies), Julie Christie (Mrs. Emma du Maurier), Radha Mitchell (Mary Ansell Barrie)
For complete info on this great cast, see IMDb's Finding Neverland page.
It's always great to see a movie that truly deserves the nomination for best picture get it, even when it's not an epic tale. This story about the author of Peter Pan (J. M. Barrie) and his friendship with the family who inspired him to create the story is a wonderful escape from reality on one hand, while it addresses the harsh reality of life and death on the other. The way Allan Knee (author of the play) and David Magee (author of the screenplay) interweave reality and fantasy is very effective in Finding Neverland. Marc Forster does a wonderful job with the directing and the cast is amazing. I was particularly impressed with the children, since I hadn't seen most of them before and they did such a great job. I'm used to expecting great things of Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet and they delivered again here.
I highly recommend this movie. It didn't get as wide of a release as I think it deserved, but it is definitely a bit artsy for some of the regular movie crowd. If you missed it, try renting it. You might be pleasantly surprised and if nothing else, the scenery, music, and acting are amazing.
Grade: A-Labels: 2004, drama, Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, movie