A Trip to the Wonderland

Movie: Finding Neverland

Cast: Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Freddie Highmore

Rating: ****(out of 5)

Youth is truly a boon that no one wants to let go. Everyone treasures it forever. The innocence of our youth only can take us to the land of fantasy of Neverland, the land of one's imagination run wild. The movie is about a playwright James Barrie who finds his inspiration from the Davies family and creates the immortal character of Peter Pan, the boy who always remains young.

The movie strikes a chord and reminds us of the adventures of our Wonderlands in our youth. The story revolves around the playwright James Barrie (Depp) who is going through a rough phase in his professional and personal life. During this time he befriends four brothers of the Davies family and takes a liking towards their widowed mother (Kate). The movie then takes us through his escapades with this family to the lands of his imagination and then how one of the brothers inspires him to create the character of Peter Pan. This character is born in the film in an attempt to protect the childhood of this boy which seems to have left him because of the tragedies in his life.


Both Johnny and Kate give beautiful performances. Their on screen chemistry and relationship is wonderfully potrayed in the movie. The scenes smoothly flow from reality to Wonderland (their world of imagination) and back. So kudos to the editor for that. The characterization is very strong with no person getting lost in the crowd. Every character carries it's individuality with a story to justify them. Special mention for Kate's mother played by Julie Christie who did a very good job and Peter played by Freddie Highmore who gave a strong performance for his age.
So Finding Neverland is a highly recommended Movie which will take you back to the experiences of your childhood.