Movie: Finding Neverland

Finding Neverland - Movie Info - Yahoo! Movies

I went to see this excellent movie Friday night while Sharon went to a scrapbooking-a-thon, and Dominic stayed overnight at grandma Alice's house.

This movie entertained me more than any other I have seen in a long time. I've been waiting for a movie that would emotionally move me, at least somewhat, as Finding Neverland managed to do. As usual, Johnny Depp seems to be the perfect casting for the protagonist he plays in the movie. Some roles seem like they are made for him, but this is perhaps because of his great talent for acting.

Prior to seeing the movie I didn't remember the particulars of Peter Pan. I knew about some of the characters, like Captain Hook, Wendy, Tinkerbell and, of course, Peter. Finding Neverland really wasn't about Peter Pan so much as it was about Mr. Barrie's inspiration to create the story. One quote stood out particularly to me, spoken by Mr. Barrie as four boys are being put to bed:

"Young children should never be put to bed. They always wake up one day older."

This is an apt quote from the man that wrote a fairy tale story about a boy that never wanted to grow up. Finding Neverland has its share of tragedy, and tear-jerking moments. That is what makes it so good. It mixes fairy-tale optimism and hope with realism. Mr. Barrie is a strong proponent of using the imagination, and of believing, but he is not naive. He uses imagination to supplement reality, not distract from it. It's a lesson of which I should take heed.