I had started to wonder if I was ever going to get to see this movie. I had read that it had opened in limited release, and in some places they had a preview screening only to have the print recalled. Then I read that a DVD release date had already been set, now I can't find where I read that. I was about to give up hope, until this past weekend when I saw it pop up on the schedules for release. Needless to say I was overjoyed and made a point to go and see it.
I sat down in the theater and watched as the screen flickered on, and surprisingly get a little dose of Depp before the movie even begins. We are treated to the trailer for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the latest from director Tim Burton. It looks wonderfully bizarre, I hope it delivers. But, back to the matter at hand.
Going into the movie, I knew that it took liberties with JM Barrie's life and was less than accurate. I went in not looking for a faithful recreation of the author's life, but an entertaining tale inspired by the life of a timeless child's story. What I got was something wonderful. A story personal in nature, timeless in scope, and magical at every turn.
We watch a man who longs to be a child again, trapped in an apparently loveless marriage who finds comfort and inspiration in the form of four young boys and their widowed mother. We watch as he is inspired by them. Spurred on by their spirit of adventure and imagination to create his greatest work.
Barrie is working as a playwrite, a talented one who has not been able to grasp that story that captures the imagination of his audience. One day while trying to write in the park, he is happened upon by the brothers. He proceeds to dazzle them with a story, acting it out with the help of his dog. He starts spending more and more time with them, much to the disapproval of his wife and other townsfolk. How can a grown man have such a strange connection and spend so much time with these young boys? They are his muse, his inspiration, especially young Peter. Peter seems to have forced himself to mature at a faster rate, and has thus become jaded to the world around him. Barrie and Peter teach other to become something more, something better than what they have forced upon themselves.
The movie is very special in the way it portrays the relationships here, in this modern age it would be easy to misconstrue the friendship of a grown man with a child, but there is nothing of the sort here. There is an innocence which is not seen in a lot of films these days, there is a sense of whimsy to it. We see the relationships grow and the adversity that is faced, leading up to the magical intercutting of the Peter Pan stage production and the visit between the boys mother and Barrie.
The acting is spectacular, Depp gives one of the finest performances of his career as the troubled Barrie. He brings the character to life, allowing the character to inhabit him, rather than the other way around. This is one of the best things about Johnny Depp's performances, he doesn't overpower the role, he does inject certain mannerisms into the mix that help give the character depth. He also allows the other actors to have their space encouraging those around him to give better performances. One of those benefiting from this is Freddie Highmore who gives a wonderful performance as the aged beyond his years as Peter, he does a wonderful job at portraying a mature innocence. He has previously been in Two Brothers and will be back again with Depp in the aforementioned Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Bottomline. I can't recommend this enough, wonderful performances a great story, and fun. This film has a heart that just reaches out to you as you watch it. It doesn't manipulate you, the film has a very natural flow to the story progressing naturally. This makes the payoff that much better.
Highly Recommended.
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