Best Picture 2005 Reviews #1: Finding Neverland

I have made it my tradition, since 2001, to see all the films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar before Oscar night. It started by chance, because I had already seen Moulin Rouge and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and had made plans to see A Beautiful Mind, so I decided to collect the whole set. I have found that the best picture of the year, in my opinion, is consistently to be found among the five nominees, though often it does not win the Oscar, so by seeing all five I can assure myself of viewing some truly excellent film.

So this afternoon I went out and saw my first nominee this year, Finding Neverland, with Johnny Depp as J.M. Barrie and Kate Winslet as the widowed mother of the boys who, from the moment we see them, are obviously going to serve as the inspiration for his next play, which of course he desperately needs to succeed after a flop. The play is Peter Pan and, well, you've heard of it, and Finding Neverland is a true story, so I think I give nothing away by revealing that the play is indeed a success.

You may guess that I found the film predictable. It was not without merit, to be sure. Depp and Winslet are masters of their craft, and I found the direction competent, though not exceptional. What I enjoyed the most was the seamless transition between literalism and the flights of fancy in the head of Barrie and the Davies family -- Barrie opens the door to his bedroom, and there's sunlit lawn and fairies and pirates and what have you. Sure, it's been done before, but I thought this was done particularly well. I should also mention that in at least some cases, the flights of fancy were not straightforward modern special effects, but were more the highest-budget Victorian theatrical renditions of the imaginative landscape possible, nicely capturing Barrie's own vision of making his imagination come alive on the stage.

My second biggest complaint was that most of the characters were cardboard cutouts, particularly Barrie's wife Mary, who had all the allure of a freezer in Siberia. What an artist would want with such a woman, other than perhaps as a warning to others, I can't fathom.

My biggest complaint was that the film seemed as if it was trying to be a jack of all trades, and of course it ended up a master of none. It tried to squeeze in failed marriage, childhood grief, jealous motherhood, skepticism versus hope, and of course the all-important Power of Imagination to Work Wonders (most of the time). Any of these subjects could have merited an entire film; trying to develop all of them under two hours, well, the effort quite simply fell short in my opinion.

So, go see it, enjoy recapturing the sense of only needing imagination to create a Wild West shootout or a pirate execution, but don't expect depth.

Acting: Good
Direction: Enh, with good parts
Screenplay: Lame

Overall: Not bad, but I'm glad I have a student discount. 
4:31 PM