Finding Neverland

It can be just a little bit twee at times, this, but it's still quite an enjoyable look at the inspiration behind J.M. Barrie's timeless "Peter Pan". We start inauspiciously, though, as his latest play garners mediocre reviews. The pressure is on - he (Johnny Depp) must write something successful else risk his relationship with impresario Frohman (the very sparingly used Dustin Hoffman). Luckily, he encounters some children in the park playing with their mother "Sylvia" (Kate Winslet) and there starts a friendship that sees them all, and their dog "Nana", provide him with some much needed food for thought. There are some flies in his ointment, though. The young "Peter" (Freddie Highmore) still craves the return of their late father and her mother (Julie Christie) is entirely unsure of his motives and of his commitment. It's this latter concern that grows more important as he becomes more and more integrated with and fond of this family. Barrie comes up with an imaginative plan that might help the young "Peter" and his mother move on with their lives before we all discover that the children are in for another tragedy sooner than later, too. There's something touchingly straightforward about this drama and that's largely down to the engaging efforts from Highmore and his fellow siblings as they mess about and play at being children, dealing with grief and progress in their own way. There's a sub-plot illustrating his own troubled marriage with "Mary" (Radha Mitchell) which doesn't really add much, indeed, Depp himself doesn't really do much more than gently guide the story along as we watch the power of imagination and good will empower these young people, as it did so many others in "Neverland" and beyond. It's about healing, sure, but it's also about adventure and excitement and the thrills of being alive and young, invincible and immortal.