Finding Neverland (2004)

Directed by Marc Forster. Starring Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Freddie Highmore, Julie Christie, Dustin Hoffman, Nick Roud, Radha Mitchell, Joe Prospero, Luke Spill, Kelly Macdonald, Ian Hart, Angus Barnett. [PG]

Genteel account of playwright J.M. Barrie (Depp), stranded in a rather aloof and loveless marriage, forming a deep friendship with a widow (Winslet) and her four boys; his relationship with the children goes on to inspire his most famous creation of Peter Pan, the boy who could fly. Treated less as a biopic or historical drama than a fantasy of the imagination (just as well, since many liberties are taken with the facts, and the more ungainly rumors/suspicions are entirely ignored), with the real and unreal interwoven during performance/reading flights of fancy. Tender and poignant, it may lack an especially compelling narrative but makes do with understated charm, humor and sadness. Hoffman provides a dry but droll counterpoint to Depp’s irrepressible eccentricities; Christie is on hand to provide some semblance of a villain, but the matter is wisely underplayed and sacrificed by the conclusion. The imagined action can be a bit underwhelming at times, but the design of the pirate ship sequence on the high seas is a delight.

73/100