Review: Off to Never, Neverland

11/23/04In his latest film, Finding Neverland, director Marc Forster has created a magical world of make-believe. Forster glosses over the true story of the relationship between Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie and the family who provided him with the inspiration for his most famous work and, in doing so, tells a heartwarming story about a boy who never wanted to grow up.

Finding Neverland revolves around struggling playwright Barrie (Johnny Depp), a child at heart, who spends much of his time lost in a world of fantasy as he dreams up new ideas for plays. He is involved in an unhappy marriage with Mary Ansell Barrie (Radha Mitchell), who does not understand his boyish antics. Upon encountering widow Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Kate Winslet) and her four young sons one day, Barrie becomes a father-figure to the family, and uses them as his muses. Eventually, out of their relationship, comes the play Peter Pan.

However, the movie is marred for those viewers who know the real events that surrounded Barrie's relationship with the Llewelyn Davies family. In one scene, when a friend of Barrie's remarks that people are starting to find it odd that he, as a married man, is spending so much time with Sylvia and her sons, Barrie quickly dismisses this and wonders how anyone could entertain such thoughts about "innocent children." The audience sympathizes with his character because his actions are so misunderstood.

In real life, Barrie met the family when the boy's father, Arthur, was still alive, and it is rumored that his relationship with the boys was pedophilic in nature. Although the boys denied this throughout their lives, the youngest, Michael, drowned himself at the age of 20 in a gay suicide pact with his lover, and Peter committed suicide in 1960 by throwing himself in front of a train, after Barrie had cut all of the boys out of his will.

In the film, Depp delivers what many critics say is an Oscar-worthy performance in his portrayal of Barrie. Depp adopted a dead-on Scottish accent for the role, and his relationship with the Llewelyn Davies boys is heartwarming. Winslet is excellent as Sylvia, a loving mother who is struggling to raise her children by herself, and Dustin Hoffman has a small but significant part as Barrie's producer, Charles Frohman.

Twelve-year-old Freddie Highmore is endearing as Peter Llewelyn, after whom Peter Pan is named. The young actor will team up with Depp again in next year's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, as Charlie. The chemistry between Depp and Highmore is palpable in Neverland.

Production designer Gemma Jackson and art director Peter Russell do a fantastic job of transporting the audience into the fantasy world dreamt up by Barrie to entertain the children. Their depiction of Barrie's interpretation of Neverland at the climax of the movie is outstanding, with vibrant colors and enchanting scenery.

Despite the fact that it is rated PG, Finding Neverland is much too mature for children. It is more of a character study of Barrie and the Llewelyn Davies family than the history of the creation of Peter Pan. Although there is no profanity, sex or violence in the film, younger viewers will undoubtedly be bored by the dramatic, serious overtones of the film.

If viewers can look past the real story of J.M. Barrie and the Llewelyn Davis boys, they will certainly enjoy a heartwarming film of a man who allowed children to extend their childhood, and his, just a little bit longer.