BoardChiri
Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay
Pacionsbo
Absolutely Fantastic
Onlinewsma
Absolutely Brilliant!
TaryBiggBall
It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
FilmBuff1994
Finding Neverland is a great movie with a very well developed plot and a terrific cast. It is a ridiculously sweet movie as we follow the life of real author JM Barrie, discovering how a close bond with a family inspired him to create Peter Pan. As we see his relationship with these people develop over the course of the movie we can really feel a real bond, it is written in a way that makes it so life like and believable, towards the end, getting quite heart wrenching. It was a little bit too heartwarming at times to a degree that it felt cheesy. Every scene, every piece of dialogue from the characters is very abrupt and honest, but this can feel somewhat forced when it's so frequent. People are not honest all the time, people do not speak the truth, its interesting when we have a character saying one thing, but learn from paying attention to the development of the character that he means something else, but in Neverland, everyone seems to say exactly what they are thinking.The cast is phenomenal, Dustin Hoffman shines in a small, but noticeable role, Kate Winslet is immensely effective as the struggling mother, and all the child actors are excellent young performers. Johnny Depp is, of course, the highlight as Barrie, playing a role a lot more toned down and normal in comparison to his usual Tim Burton-esque flamboyant characters, he is subtle, quiet and delivers a meaningful performance of a passionate writer and playwright, as well as an impressive Scottish accent. Entertaining, with a very sweet message. Fun and well acted, Finding Neverland is a pleasure that runs at a very appropriate time, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good family film or biography. The story of Scottish playwright and author JM Barrie, and how he came to write the classic children's book Peter Pan. Best Performance; Johnny Depp
said-buet10
This movie is BEAUTIFUL The story is very emotional and on top of that the making of the movie is perfect. The director did a stellar job. The sound, the cinematography, the costume design were great. This movie is so well made that even the silly CGI of that time looked and felt fitting.Johnny Depp's acting in this movie is in my opinion his best performance so far. Every single actor did great, specially young Freddie. I was extremely impressed with his emotional performance.I loved every minute of this. I think I will never get bored watching this over and over again. I would highly recommend this to anyone anytime.
zkonedog
The magic of the "Peter Pan universe" is something that most children experience at some time in their lives. The thrill of staying young forever, flying away to distant lands, and battling pirates is one that can easily capture the imagination of the young. "Finding Neverland" is the story of how James Barrie created that magical universe that has stood the test of time.For a basic plot summary, "Finding Neverland" sees struggling playwright James Barrie (Johnny Depp) introduced to Sylvia Davies (Kate Winslet), a widow with four young children, on a chance encounter at a local park. While forming a bond with Sylvia and especially her playful children, Barrie begins to realize the power of "play" and "imagination" and begins to incorporate those elements into a new play about a boy who never grows up.This film is very successful on two different levels:1. The backstory on Barrie/Davies is very interesting. I knew nothing about it going in, so I can't speak to the accuracy of all the events depicted, but it sure seems as if Barrie was truly inspired by the Davies children.2. For fans of the Peter Pan narrative, seeing the story come together bit by bit is a visual and emotional treat. It is kind of strange to think of the Pan story as anything but pure childhood escapism fiction, but this movie shows us how it was quite real to the actors, theater-goers, and producers of the day.Only helping matters is the solid acting by Depp and Winslet, who are both so "classically trained" in acting (I believe they have both done much theater) that their casting is perfect in this period piece.Overall, then, "Finding Neverland" is a fun, informative film for fans of the Peter Pan cannon. It will bring out your emotions, humor, and sense of history while viewing.
John Brooks
In short, this is a smooth viewing, but it clearly falls short in what it's supposed to supply. The good points are the entertaining watch this provides, Johnny Depp, an excellent child actor's performance (Peter), the ever so beautiful Radha Mitchell (hah...), and all in all the good story being told here.The problem is the great potential such a story/casting/philosophical point holds and is absolutely necessary to be fulfilled. And this clearly, clearly falls short of it. We're given a taste of what it could've been like, we're given glimpses of what could've been achieved here; but only sketches, elusive hints...never the real thing. This could've been a magical motion picture that dives the viewer into Neverland, and all the premises full of wonderful emotion and artistic/human sensitivity that come with it. In stead, this is a fairly flat realization of its plot, with interesting potential, never reached. Clearly not greatness, but also as clear was the potential for greatness.