Finding Neverland
A Film Review By Clyde Ayles
NEVER GROW UP
By now almost everyone has heard of Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up. He has been represented on stage by Mary Martin and Cathy Rigby. On film by Walt Disney in the 1953 animated version, by Robin Williams in "Hook", and a beautiful live version in 2003. But did we know much about the man who created this forever youthful boy from Neverland? "FINDING NEVERLAND" is a wonderful, heart filled story of James M. Barrie, the man who was still a kid at heart. He was also a mostly unsuccessful playwright. The story opens as Mr. Barrie is at the theatre for opening night of his latest play, which turns out to be a flop. The theatre manager is not very happy about this, along with Barrie's wife. One day while in the park, Barrie meets a very pretty young widowed mother and her sons. He becomes friends with this family, charming the widow and becoming one of the children. He tells them story's, plays games. He visits them very often, too often according to his wife and the rest of the town. He is inspired by the children to write a children's story about a boy who will never grow old, seeing the world through the eyes of a child. He opens his play in the theatre, putting the theatre manager in a panic. "Why would grown men and women in dress clothes come to the theatre to see a fairy tale?" he asks. The author reserves 25 seats scattered around the theatre, We find that this was done so that a group of orphans attend as his guests. The play is a hit, but at the cost of losing his wife. The entire cast is perfect. J. M. Barrie is portrayed by the incredible JOHNNY DEPP, who looks like a boy here. KATE WINSLET (Titanic) is the young widow. There is also JULIE CHRISTY as Kate's Mother, who dislikes Barrie. The theatre manager is DUSTIN HOFFMAN, who played Captain Hook in "Hook:. This has to be one of the best films of the year. In one scene after the play "Peter Pan is a hit, a lady at the theatre looks at the smallest boy who's name is Peter, and declares him the real Peter Pan, to which the boy turns to Johnny Depp and says I'm not Peter Pan, he is , and we have to agree. No one could have played this part so well as Depp. One warning, take a box of tissues with you, you will need them. According to one press release, Johnny Depp was so taken by 12 year old FREDDIE HIGHMORE who plays the little boy Peter, that he got him a role in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , Depp's next project. This film was directed by MARC FORSTER (Monster's Ball). Take a journey into Neverland and be a kid again, see this wonderful movie. SEE YA AT THE MOVIES CLYDE
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© 2004 Clyde Ayles