The Flipcritic

Those who are familiar with Sir James Matthew Barrie, the Scottish playwright who created Peter Pan, regard him with great admiration and odd curiosity. His genius was to create a story that celebrated the rapture of childhood innocence. But if one were told of how he came about its creation, it would make even the most open-minded of parents cringe. J. M. Barrie became acquainted with the Llewelyn-Davies family of London, and essentially forged a loving but innocent bond with its sons, who eventually became the muses of his famous play.

In today’s world, any good-hearted gesture is immediately greeted with skepticism. So the thought of any man wishing to endear himself to young boys, even for the best reasons, becomes distasteful (Michael Jackson has walloped this idea into our collective consciousness). There is no evidence to suggest that Sir Barrie was a pedophile, and we will never be absolutely sure of what his motives were, good or bad. But knowing this makes FINDING NEVERLAND a remarkable accomplishment. It disarms our cynicism with the manner of Sir Barrie’s portrayal, opting to choose to give the benefit of the doubt when it came to his actions. And in doing so, it opens wonderful and moving insights on how Peter Pan might have come to life.

The movie begins with the opening of one of Sir Barrie’s failed plays, where his irked impresario Charles Frohman (Dustin Hoffman) reminds Sir Barrie that his theatre needs a good play to continue its operation. While writing at the park, he chances upon the Davies boys playing make-believe, and his infuses his own rich imaginings, which make their merriment merrier.

Two members of the Davies family develop meaningful relationships with him. One is Sylvia (Kate Winslet), the matriarch, who has just recently lost her husband to illness, and seems to be slowly following in his wake. Though she is weakened by illness, she is strong enough to make no excuses for herself of her family. She is portrayed as a woman ahead of her time, when women believed they needed men to live meaningfully.

The other meaningful person in Sir Barrie’s life is Peter (Freddie Highmore), who is one of the younger lads of the lot. It becomes obvious as the movie progresses that he is probably the wisest amongst the siblings. The passing of his father might have caused this so. He shows skepticism in watching Sir Barrie’s silliness (though Sir Barrie cheerfully obliges and tempers him). But he also displays high artistic aptitude. After being inspired by Sir Barrie’s own work, he creates his own rudimentary but lovely play.

Sir Barrie’s familial frolicking with the Davieses does not sit well with his wife Mary (Radha Mitchell). She begins to envy the company he keeps at her expense. At one point, Sir Barrie asks her to lend their help to the Davieses. She also begins to understand, at least from the movie’s standpoint, that he has no sexual intent in spending time with his newfound friends. But in time, that knowledge hardly comforts her, as his real priorities become clear. His and her resolutions near the end of the movie are sad, but inevitable.

The movie has no major surprises or plot twists. In fact, every moment in the film is fairly predictable. But despite its obviousness, its very attempt to dramatize J. M. Barrie’s inspirations is wholly absorbing. This is a tribute to the power of his play. There is something instinctively wonderful about the innocence that he projects. The thought of rediscovering and lamenting that youthful innocence that we all have cherished at some point in our lives is the film’s life source.

There are other perceptive nuggets that I found in the movie. I admired the way it was able to recreate the wonder of going to the theatre. We live in a time inundated with wondrous images, when it is so easy for us to imagine majestic landscapes, glorious battles, fantastical creatures, taking to the sky, and other flights of fancy. How blessed we are to have startling imagery we can find in movies, books, and the Internet. Seeing Mr. Frohman not realize the grandness and poetry of Sir Barrie’s vision at first surprised me. But then, he didn’t have the benefit visualizing what we can see today. How wonderful it must have been to see Peter Pan actually take flight in the theatre for the first time. It must have had the same effect as first seeing the flying escape of E.T. and his friends from his pursuers, perhaps even more so.

Other sad discernments the movie has are on human nature, such as how people have an almost carnal instinct to take good things down. Since the movie takes Barrie’s point of view, it is effective in making us feel aghast at those who would think him foul. He and those close to him suffer from rumormongering. At its worst, his relationship with the Davies boys comes into question. What he observes about goodness (at a game of cricket) is something we should all remember wisely.

Kate Winslet is probably the best young actress of her generation. Seeing her in ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, and now here, makes me wonder if there has ever been a young British powerhouse such as her. Her will is feels so tangible, always to be reckoned with. Very few actresses convey such absolute confidence and youthful maturity such as her. Freddie Highmore’s performance as Peter Davies is astonishing. It is one of those very rare performances without affectation. His is the movie’s most memorable and painful line (“I won’t be made a fool!”). It comes close to Victoire Thivisol’s perfect feat in PONETTE.

Nobody plays eccentric heroes better than Johnny Depp. And his character’s peculiarities aren’t as obvious as they have been with his previous performances. His act as J. M. Barrie is a delicate one. He conveys an obsession that never becomes sinister or malicious. He never displays sensual longing nor emotional disjoint. He seems full of imagination but somewhat grounded. Here is a man with deep hurts that have altered his outlook on life, and has become what I would call a sensible innocent. If he was ever one, Mr. Depp embodies him effortlessly.

I hope I did not make Sir J. M. Barrie out to be a monster. Anyone who created one of the most beloved of children stories must have considerable goodness in them. If it helps, I suggest that you research about the playwright, then see the movie. Marc Foster seems to love telling stories about generosity and kindness (as in MONSTER'S BALL), and with FINDING NEVERLAND, he has created another. This is one of the more memorable films about human goodness you will see in a long while.

Posted by FLIPCRITIC at February 2, 2005 04:40 PM