“Okay forget having rules for deciding what movie I’m blogging. They’re more guidelines really. Earlier this week I saw a musical production of Finding Neverland at the A.R.T. in Cambridge. Felt it was worth revisiting the movie.
Honestly, I’m hardly paying attention to the film because it really does feel like I just saw it. The musical adaptation is pretty beat by beat faithful. The current production features Jeremy Jordan taking over for Johnny Depp as JM Barrie, and it’s absolutely beautiful. Some inventive stage magic and a wonderful cast.
But we’re here to talk about the movie. We follow JM Barrie, the man who would write Peter Pan. He’s a usually successful playwright who is coming off a bad show, and having trouble finding inspiration. He meets Sylvia (Kate Winslet), a widow with four children. He struggles to reach one of the boys, Peter (Freddie Highmore) and along the way draws inspiration from him for Peter Pan. It’s a film full of magic and imagination, especially when referencing beloved charaters and moments from Barrie’s future work.
I remember thinking it was a little slow and dull the first couple times I saw it, but the magic holds up when that’s what you focus on. Still, there are better Peter Pan adaptations out there, but it is interesting seeing the story behind it, fabricated as it may be”