Finding Neverland...

[fajrdrako]

I went to see Finding Neverland tonight with Pat, Sandi, Beulah and Lyn.

I loved it. There were no surprises, even though I don't recall deatils from the biography of Barrie that I once read. It was a delightful tear-jerker. It was just as it should be, except the costumes and sets were better than I dared hope. Freddy Highmore did some marvellous acting as young Peter Llewellyn-Davies, I thought Radha Mitchell (as Barrie's wife) was far more attractive than Kate Winslet.

And my goodness Johnny Depp is a beautiful man.

Comments

[monsieureden.livejournal.com]

I can't wait to see this on Sunday. I've heard nothing but amazing reviews.

[lilithlotr.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked it, too.

Several people I admire found it overly sentimental. I'm usually pretty sensitive to that, and I loved it.

And Julie Christie!!

[kathyh]

I thought Radha Mitchell (as Barrie's wife) was far more attractive than Kate Winslet.

So did I. And in some ways I thought the Barrie marriage and its failure was an interesting story in its own right and should have got more screen time. There are a lot of darker elements to this story that they didn't really touch on but it worked very well as a film on its own terms.

And my goodness Johnny Depp is a beautiful man.

Of that there is no doubt *g*.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I just can't believe how beautiful that man is. You'll love it. Take kleenex.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

"Overly sentimental" is in the eye of the beholder. I find that I have an infinite capacity for sentiment if I think the movie is good. If I don't like it - it just doesn't work.

I also thought the sentimentality was perfectly suitable to the subject matter, the time and place - England of 1904 was a far, far more sentimental place than North American of 2004, and the movie reflected that. It captured the flavour of Barrie's writings, especially Peter Pan - this made it a better movie, though I can see that the Edwardian mushiness might not be to everyone's taste.

Julie Christie was amazing and I wished, just slightly, that we'd had more of her interaction with Depp, which I thought had an interesting spark - I wanted to see what turned this grouchy lady into someone who could clap for fairies.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I thought the Barrie marriage and its failure was an interesting story in its own right and should have got more screen time.

Oh, I absolutely agree. It was as if the filmmakers just didn't want to tell that story, and so left it blank - but it really must have been important to Barrie's life and thought. His wife must have meant something to him. I was left thinking that she must have been unimaginative, intolerant, insensitive or unaffectionate by nature, and I don't think that's what the movie meant me to think - but I wanted some sort of reason she and Barrie so completely failed to connect. I liked the scene where she went to opening night of Peter Pan, and he was glad she was there.

[chazzbanner.livejournal.com]

I really recommend J. M. Barrie and the Lost Boys by Andrew Birkin. Stunning, heartbreaking. Absolutely gorgeous photographs! It's one of my favorite books.. which is saying something. :-)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the recommendation! I put a request in for it at the library - they have four copies, but of course they are all out now. You can see the effect of a popular movie.

[blackbyrde.livejournal.com]

Freddy Highmore is playing Charlie to Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka in Charlie and Chocolate Factory. :) That should be good.

Someday, I hope to be able to go to the movies again.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I want to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory too - I never saw the first movie, or read the books. And it's Johnny Depp!

Don't worry, you'll get to a movie again someday.