Great Film: Finding Neverland
Wow
I always tell my students that they can't claim a movie they just saw
as their favorite movie ever because it has yet to stand the test of
time. Every now and then a movie comes along that defies that rule for
me -- a movie that as soon as I finish seeing it I know that it is an
instant classic, if not "my favorite movie ever." American Beauty was
such a movie.
Finding Neverland is such a movie. Every minute of this movie was
simply incredible -- I felt like the kids in the theater on the opening
night of Peter Pan. Johnny Depp is absolutely astounding, as he usually
is, as JM Barrie. The rest of the adult cast doesn't quite come up to
his level, but are uniformly strong. The kids, especially Peter and
Michael, are wonderful. Maybe I just love the British accent, but one
of my favorite scenes comes very early when Barrie meets Michael in the
park -- Michael's accent reminded me so much of the kid in The Little
Prince!
What raises this movie above standard fare, though, are the clever
entries into Barrie's imagination. The magical moments in this movie
seem to literally jump off the screen. Without a doubt, a film worthy
of Oscar nominations for Depp, screenplay adaptation, cinematography
(the pirate ship scene is gorgeous), and best movie of the year. Treat
yourself - despite the PG rating, this is NOT a movie just for kids --
believe... 10/10
Cast
- Sir James Matthew Barrie played by Johnny Depp
- Peter Llewelyn Davies played by Freddie Highmore
- Charles Frohman played by Dustin Hoffman
- Mrs. Snow played by Eileen Essell
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle played by Ian Hart
- Sylvia Llewelyn Davies played by Kate Winslet
- Mrs. Emma Du Maurier played by Julie Christie
