"Finding Neverland"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars) STARRING Johnny Depp as JAMES M. BARRIE Kate Winslet as SYLVIA LLEWELYN DAVIES Julie Christie as MRS. EMMA DU MAURIER Radha Mitchell as MARY ANSELL BARRIE Dustin Hoffman as CHARLES FROHMAN PG Studio: Miramax Directed by: Mark Forster Back to DVD Review Home |
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Okay, I have to get it off my chest. I’m tired of bio pics!
After this year’s Oscars was a fight among films about real people (including “Ray” and “The Aviator”), a part of me was dreading “Finding Neverland.” And to be honest, I was probably a little more critical about this movie than I would have been if it came out in a vacuum. So keep this in mind while you read my words.
“Finding Neverland” tells the story of James M. Barrie, the playwright who created Peter Pan. However, this is hardly an accurate story, considering it’s based on a book that’s based on his life. So, there has been a lot of dramatic license taken. That’s not a criticism, but just realize that you’re really not getting the complete (or even accurate) James M. Barrie story here. With that said, it does tell a good story.
The film shows how Barrie (Johnny Depp) was in a loveless marriage and found sudden inspiration in a widow and her four young boys. Barrie is portrayed as a kid who refused to grow up, but who was stifled in the world as an adult. He escaped by playing pirates with the boys and using their imagination to feed his own. Thus, the need to create the character of Peter Pan.
“Finding Neverland” is well acted, well shot and well conceived. However, it is what you might recognize as they type of movie Miramax got famous for, rather than films like “She’s All That” and “My Baby’s Daddy.”
It’s a costume drama and a period piece. I enjoyed it, but I wasn’t particularly enthralled with it. Some of the plot points and timing seemed a bit forced for my tastes. In some ways, it felt more like a PBS special on “Masterpiece Theatre” than a major motion picture.
There were some interesting effects that blended the imaginary play world of Barrie and the children with real life. However, for as many compelling scenes of this, there were others that were misplayed or over done.
While there have been some accusations lofted at Barrie for being more than a friend to the boys in the movie, this amounts to little more than speculation and rumor. After all, if the Internet (the bastion of inaccuracies and gossip) has little mention of any hard facts to this degree, it’s probably not true.
However, it’s difficult to watch this film in today’s world considering the turmoil of the Michael Jackson trial. The similarities are shocking. Barrie whisked the boys off to Neverland. Jackson lured boys to his own Neverland. Barrie found more interesting playmates in the kids. Jackson compulsively befriended young boys rather than hanging out with people his own age.
But the real difference between Barrie and Jackson is that Barrie knew where to draw a line (or at least Depp’s interpretation of him did). Depp expertly portrays Barrie as a caregiver and savior to their youth and imagination. In the hands of a lesser actor, Barrie would have been creepy.
The DVD comes complete with deleted scenes with optional commentary, an outtake reel and a feature commentary. There’s also several featurettes, including “The Magic of ‘Finding Neverland,’” “Creating Neverland” and “On the Red Carpet.” These featurettes showed a set that was light-hearted and fun, which was surprising to see for such a deep, heavy movie.
Being a huge fan of bathroom humor, I most enjoyed an unaltered segment in which Depp and director Marc Forster made the boy actors laugh by hiding a fart machine under Julie Christie’s chair. It was a gas!
Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Widescreen (2.35:1) - Enhanced for 16x9 televisions. French and Spanish language tracks and subtitles. English subtitles for the hearing impaired.
