Finding Neverland
This was a very, very refreshing movie to watch. When I first heard of it, I thought I knew exactly what would end up happening...Johnny Depp's character would leave his wife in the end to be with Kate Winslet and they live in a nice little cottage in the woods for the rest of their lives. But that was not the case at all. This movie is a classic example of how a man and a woman can have a strong, healthy friendship without there being any scandal whatsoever.
James M. Barrie is a young playwrite living with his beautiful wife in Europe. He is struggling severly with coming up with a good play -- a play that will blow his audience away, not blow them into R.E.M. 7 sleep. Despite his creative genius, he has a bad case of writer's block that just won't go away. It doesn't help that his marriage is slowly desintegrating before his very eyes.
One day, while he is walking in the park, he meets a family -- a mother and her three boys -- and watches as, over time, a wonderful friendship blossoms. The family has recently been devastated by the death of their father, who had jaw cancer. When James starts spending more and more time with the four boys and their mother, people start whispering about how his behavior is 'scandalous' and how James and Sylvia (the mother, played by Kate Winslet) MUST be having a love affair.
Of course, all these allegations are untrue and ridiculous. As James gets to know the family more and more, he gets inspiration for a play -- a play that would eventually become the world-famous Peter Pan. He becomes a father figure in the lives of the boys and when tragedy strikes the family once again, he is there for them, and in turn, when his wife is involved in infidelity, they are there for him.
Johnny Depp, again, floored me with his amazing performance. Kate Winslet and he had amazing on-screen chemistry and by the end, I found myself bawling like a four-year-old at the intricate beauty of this film. Every second was perfectly choreographed, plotted, and performed. The most unique thing about this film was the glimpses into James's mind -- snapshots of how e sees the world. Instead of walking into his room, he's walking into a forest, decorated with the delicate loveliness of winter. Instead of taking a walk through a garden, he is wandering through deepest, darkest Africa.
The four little boys were adorable. My personal favorite was the youngest, Michael. The first time you see him, he is 'locked up' underneath the park bench the James is sitting on. He's been 'imprisoned by the evil Prince George(a.k.a. his oldest brother)'. He is a very cute character to watch, and since he plays a five-year-old, he has a wild imagination in an extreme sense of the word.
This is a wonderful story of friendship and love in the most literal sense of the word...not romance...honest to goodness friend-to-friend love, the kind that all humans should experience.
5 stars. This movie is an instant classic.
James M. Barrie is a young playwrite living with his beautiful wife in Europe. He is struggling severly with coming up with a good play -- a play that will blow his audience away, not blow them into R.E.M. 7 sleep. Despite his creative genius, he has a bad case of writer's block that just won't go away. It doesn't help that his marriage is slowly desintegrating before his very eyes.
One day, while he is walking in the park, he meets a family -- a mother and her three boys -- and watches as, over time, a wonderful friendship blossoms. The family has recently been devastated by the death of their father, who had jaw cancer. When James starts spending more and more time with the four boys and their mother, people start whispering about how his behavior is 'scandalous' and how James and Sylvia (the mother, played by Kate Winslet) MUST be having a love affair.
Of course, all these allegations are untrue and ridiculous. As James gets to know the family more and more, he gets inspiration for a play -- a play that would eventually become the world-famous Peter Pan. He becomes a father figure in the lives of the boys and when tragedy strikes the family once again, he is there for them, and in turn, when his wife is involved in infidelity, they are there for him.
Johnny Depp, again, floored me with his amazing performance. Kate Winslet and he had amazing on-screen chemistry and by the end, I found myself bawling like a four-year-old at the intricate beauty of this film. Every second was perfectly choreographed, plotted, and performed. The most unique thing about this film was the glimpses into James's mind -- snapshots of how e sees the world. Instead of walking into his room, he's walking into a forest, decorated with the delicate loveliness of winter. Instead of taking a walk through a garden, he is wandering through deepest, darkest Africa.
The four little boys were adorable. My personal favorite was the youngest, Michael. The first time you see him, he is 'locked up' underneath the park bench the James is sitting on. He's been 'imprisoned by the evil Prince George(a.k.a. his oldest brother)'. He is a very cute character to watch, and since he plays a five-year-old, he has a wild imagination in an extreme sense of the word.
This is a wonderful story of friendship and love in the most literal sense of the word...not romance...honest to goodness friend-to-friend love, the kind that all humans should experience.
5 stars. This movie is an instant classic.
posted by JGreenEyes at 4:37 PM
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