Finding Neverland

Drama

Julie Christie	Mrs. Emma du Maurier
Johnny Depp	Sir James Matthew Barrie
Ian Hart	Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Dustin Hoffman	Charles Frohman
Radha Mitchell	Mary Ansell Barrie
Joe Prospero	Jack Llewelyn Davies
Kate Winslet	Sylvia Llewelyn Davies
Freddie Highmore	Peter Llewelyn Davies
Nick Roud	George Llewelyn Davies
Luke Spill	Michael Llewelyn Davies
Eileen Essell	Mrs. Snow
Kelly MacDonald	Peter Pan
Jimmy Gardner	Mr. Snow
Tim Potter	Hook/Lord Carlton
Kate Maberly	Wendy

Director	Marc Forster
Producer	Nellie Bellflower; Richard N. Gladstein; Neal Israel; Bob Weinstein
Writer	David Magee; Allan Knee

Sweetness that doesn't turn saccharine is hard to find these days; Finding Neverland hits the mark. Much credit is due to the actors: Johnny Depp applies his genius for sly whimsy in his portrayal of playwright J. M. Barrie, who finds inspiration for his greatest creation from four lively boys, the sons of widow Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Kate Winslet, who miraculously fuses romantic yearning with common sense). Though the friendship threatens his already dwindling marriage, Barrie spends endless hours with the boys, pretending to be pirates or Indians--and gradually the elements of Peter Pan take shape in his mind. The relationship between Barrie and the Llewelyn Davies family sparks both an imagined world and a quiet rebellion against the stuffy forces of respectability, given physical form by Barrie's resentful wife (Radha Mitchell, High Art) and Sylvia's mother (Julie Christie, McCabe and Mrs. Miller). This gentle silliness could have turned to treacle, but Depp and Winslet--along with newcomer Freddie Highmore as one of the boys--keep their feet on the earth while their eyes gaze into their dreams. Also featuring a comically crusty turn from Dustin Hoffman (who appeared in another Peter Pan-themed movie, Hook) as a long-suffering theater producer. --Bret Fetzer