I saw Finding Neverland...a "not like much" review (with slight notes)

[chookie]

Limited engagement -- I even did the Fandago thing because not only was it a Johnny Depp flick but has been consistently given 3.5 stars.

Well, **this** film snob did not like it. Maybe it could have been a good film if they had a good screen writer and a good director -- sadly, a *great* cast was not enough....

Everything was so Manichean, and yet the Manicheanism was so much left to the imagination -- you have this wildly imaginative man Barrie, in a supposedly SUFFOCATING marriage -- how did he ever get involved with this concrete women who was still secretly rebellious and outrageous in the end? You have this widow with 4 boring little boys of no interest whatsoever (how THESE kids, as portrayed, inspired an artist is quite a leap of faith), and this is supposed to be enough to inspire the great writer. There was no tension, no dynamic, no reality to how awful and delightful and out of control and inspiring life can be and how it REALLY effects real people -- there were no chances taken on any of the characters -- and in no great gamble, there is the chance that there is NO kind of victory or achievement. They don't even take the chance to SHOUT that everything was on the UP AND UP -- and that this ITSELF was scandalous at the time!!! Perfectly decent friendships are mistaken for bullshit all the time even TODAY -- and yet this was not a major theme in this film. And why did his sacrifice his relationship with his wife, who SCREAMS to him that she has always felt left out of his creative life, and who had entered marriage loving him as an artist -- who finally has to turn herself to a more vital man (i.e. a man of political conviction). Too safe too safe no explorations of any interest -- I am so SORRY!

Yes, Victorian society had its protocols, but it was not this totally straightjacketed -- this film is Victorian society in caricature -- and reduced to a stereotype, it is made completely uninteresting (which it certainly was NOT!).

There are a few magical heart-stopping moments, as when Barrie (Depp) sees the eldest son rise to the occasion of his mother's grave illness who DEMANDS no more bullshit from the grownups -- who (Barrie) then sadly smiles and remarks that he is no longer a boy.... And the children reacting to the opening night of "Peter Pan," which is performed so superbly and heart-achingly wonderfully in this film.....

The movie, I suppose, is supposed to tell us how works of genius arise from "ordinary (which it is never, IMHO) life" -- but the fact is there is no sign that ANY THING could have existed in these harsh deserts of emotional life..... it is simply a stretch of the imagination as to HOW Barrie achieved what he did -- it does not come through in this film, I am afraid IMHO.

They KINDA try to make this point after "Peter Pan" is proven a great success which resonates in the hearts of EVERYONE (even the evil grandmother)-- but where was that delicious vulnerability BEFORE? Of COURSE it was there -- but the depiction of society at that time does not SHOW even a tiny INKLING that anyone was hungering for such truth in art, but merely as DETERMINED to STOMP all feeling out completely!! BULLSHIT!! I don't buy it!! The playwright and the director failed this story, my dear friends..... (Don't know much about this director....quite disappointed. I can only imagine this story in the hands of someone obsessively empathetic about creative people, troubled familes, and moms and young children trying to make the best of very sad times....)

Some minor notes -- my dear Ms Winslet -- you are beautiful and talented, but my darling, please know that doomed consumptives are never as plump and pink and sleek as you appear in this film. I would have starved myself for months and gone without sleep for a week to show the agony of Mrs L-Davies -- a bit of coughing at the end just didn't quite pull the drama of beloved Mama's passing off, quite.

And, dear Jesus, if that is what Julie Christie looks like now -- I am definitely putting a pistol to my temple at age 55..... I THINK they made her up ghastly for this character though.... I must say, however, that she is, as ever, a FINE actress, still startlingly magnificent in her brilliance and demeanor and incisiveness.

And Johnny Depp -- not his usual quirky role. He has a few great moments of quirkiness, which always work so well. But he has to play most of it straight, real leading man stuff and all of it honest -- and he succeeds beautifully. Gosh this dear boy can act and act and act and act and act.....

Please comment, others who have seen this. The theatre was WEEPING as I left -- obviously many were moved, as of course I was -- but not sure what others thought of the flick as a whole.

yours most humbly and respectfully,
your forever chookie

[Onceuponalife]

1. well I loved it

:bounce:

[chookie]

3. Gosh by golly I wish you'd gone into detail

If I missed something or screwed up, honestly dearest, I would love to know.

Hoping you will please explain a bit.... No argument, mind you. Just your view, in more detail. please please.

[GreatAuntK]

2. I saw it today.

Thanks for your thoughts. I see your point in a lot of areas, but I did love the film. I relate to Barrie, as I also go to Neverland quite often with my sister's little grand-daughters. I just made a Susie Snowflake costume to wear on Christmas Day, and last year I was Mrs. Clause. But it's a regular thing, they pull me into their pretend games... "You be the big sister, and I'm the mommy, and she's coming to lock you in the dungeon..." Their grandma gets pulled in as well, and it's like fresh air, letting our imaginations run, the way we did when she and I were little kids together. Alone together we rant and rave about Bush and the latest horror, but we put it aside with the kids.

We play dress up, have ballerina fashion shows; we're circus tightrope walkers on the curb when we go for a walk, with lions and tigers waiting to eat us if we fall off. And we're in our mid-fifties. We never, ever related to our numerous aunts as playmates, or anything but supervisory adults that we loved, like Julie Christie's character.

As I think about it, those boys in Finding Neverland were not nearly as mischievous as some little ones that I know. The unexpected, the chaos that happens when kids play wasn't quite enough.

And how sad the times, when people were so bottled up. If you ever watched The 1900 House, where they recreated life circa 1900, the household chores and limited choices sent a 20th century family into a panic.

[chookie]

4. Thank you Aunt K

Although I am a woman, I LOVE to play "bad boy" with little boys (who have no live in father). We never do anything frightful -- just mischevous and fun and a little outrageous -- and the "Moms" and "Grandmoms" LOVE the little bit of wild imagination which is fun for all. They are the primary caregivers with many cares, God bless them, after all, and often welcome a break when someone with energy for imaginative play comes over to entertain their beloved and intelligent and demanding children. We involve the Moms and Grandmoms, who love it too -- oH! the OPERAS! OH! The BALLETS we put on!. The kids ADORE it and cherish the memory of these "mad tea parties" -- and their parents miss them as well, as it takes "outside energy" sometimes to have these wonderful "pirate and Indian" adventures."

Slight hint of the fun kids have; no indication of what a relief creative people can be to parents who have fulltime caregiving jobs -- God bless them....

As to the "bottled up" aspect" -- I think this was misrepresented. There are always unimaginative authoritarians amongst us -- a la "Life is Beautiful" -- I think this aspect was wildly overblown in this story -- certainly, as always, some people had their head up their ass, but it was a time of uncertainty and experimentation and increasing knowledge and retrogression, that all sorts of factors were in play in Victoriam society. It was an exciting time! Pity it wasn't reflected in this film, IMHO. Bringing the tension of Enlightenment and the bullshit of authoritarianism to light -- that would have been nice! Peter Pan, after all, has its appeal in "normal people" really discovering themselves after submitting to imaginging new worlds.

XOXOXO, dear friend

[GreatAuntK]

5. Take what you can from the movie

even if it was disappointing. The story of his life is intriguing, and I'm putting his biography on my Christmas list.

James. M. Barrie (1860-1937) "...a time of uncertainty and experimentation and increasing knowledge and retrogression ...all sorts of factors were in play in Victoriam society." You're right on there - Barrie lived through a "time of uncertainty and experimentation..." - he wrote Peter Pan in 1904, and lived through the 1920's, prohibition, the crash - those were radical changes from the turn of the century. Quite surprised to learn that two of the boys died at their own hands.

http://www.jmbarrie.net/
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/jmbarrie.htm
Andrew Birkin's book J. M. Barrie and the Lost Boys. Every fan of Barrie, of biography, and of good writing is sure to enjoy it. It is recently back in print and may be bought from amazon.com or your local bokstore. .

Barrie once said: "By rubbing the five of you violently together, as savages with two sticks to produce a flame, I made the spark of you that is Peter Pan."

He had previously known a little girl, Margaret Henley, who died at the age of six. She called him 'my friendy', which she lisped as 'fwendy' or 'wendy', and thus a new girl’s name was born. Barrie immortalised her in 'Peter Pan' by calling his heroine Wendy.
http://www.gosh.org/about_us/peterpan/barrie.html

Peter Pan evolved gradually from the stories that Barrie told to Sylvia Llewelyn Davies's five young sons. She was the daughter of the novelist George du Maurier, and a motherly figure, with whom Barrie formed a long friendship. Arthur, her husband, was not happy about Barrie's invasion of the family. In 1909 Mary Barrie began an affair with the writer Gilbert Cannan and Barrie's marriage ended. When Sylvia Llwelyn Davies and her husband died, Barrie was the unofficial guardian of their sons, but in reality he was perhaps more a sixth child than an adoptive father. George, one of the sons, died in World War I, Michael drowned himself with his boy friend in Oxford. Michael's death was a deep blow to Barrie. Peter, who become a publisher, committed suicide in 1960.

"Barrie knew such great figures of literature as G.B. Shaw, who did not like his pipe smoking, and H.G. Wells, and could surprise them with his remarks. Once he said to Wells: "It is all very well to be able to write books, but can you waggle your ears?" When a friend noticed that he ordered Brussels sprouts every day, he explained: "I cannot resists ordering them. The words are so lovely to say." With his friends, Jerome K. Jerome, Arthur Conan Doyle, P.G. Wodehouse and others, Barrie founded a cricket club, called Allahakbarries. Doyle was the only member who could actually play cricket. During World War I Barrie made a western film with his literary friends, starring Shaw, William Archer, G.K. Chesterton, etc."
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/jmbarrie.htm

Thanks for this refreshing contemplation in the middle of the night, and I will go to sleep now, thinking happy thoughts.

[REP]

6. Shaw Had a Low Opinion of Barrie and his Stories

So it's funny to hear of Barrie bragging that he knew Shaw.

[fleabert]

7. I mostly agree with you...

Our first comments after the film is that it was good, but didn't stretch any of the actors enough. Depp could have clearly done more, and probably did and it ended up cut. (I expect a decent DVD) The writing in general was weak, and didn't do enough considering the subject matter. The scenes were lovely though, esp. the fantasies. Costuming was interesting, several of the women's costumes were repeated on different days, but I felt they were well designed.

I did cry though. I cry at the drop of a hat, and when Peter finally FEELS at the end, it sent me over. I had a recent death in the family, so that helped with my empathy.

I thought the boys were charming, and only reserved in public. The scenes from the summer house and inside their own house showed them quite unreserved.

I love Depp, and anything he's in is at least good because of him, so this one gets a bit better than good in my book.