Sunday, October 25, 2009

FINDING NEVERLAND

Based on the play "The Man Who Was Peter Pan" by Allan Knee
Screenplay by David Magee
Directed by Marc Forster

Johnny Depp
Kate Winslet
Julie Christie
Dustin Hoffman

Premiere date: November 12, 2004
PG for mild thematic elements and brief language.

Successful playwright J.M. Barrie watches his latest play open to a ho-hum reaction among the polite society of England. A literary genius of his times but bored by the same old themes, Barrie is clearly in need of some serious inspiration. Unexpectedly, he finds it one day when he encounters the Llewelyn Davies family: four fatherless boys and their beautiful, recently widowed mother. Despite the disapproval of the boys' steely grandmother and the resentment of his own wife, Barrie befriends the family, engaging the boys in tricks, disguises, games and sheer mischief, creating play-worlds of castles and kings, cowboys and Indians, pirates and castaways. He transforms hillsides into galleon ships, sticks into mighty swords, kites into enchanted fairies and the Llewelyn Davies boys into "The Lost Boys of Neverland." From the sheer thrills and adventures of childhood will come Barrie's most daring and renowned masterwork, "Peter Pan." At first, his theatrical company is skeptical. While his loyal producer worries he'll lose his shirt on this children's fantasy, Barrie begins rehearsals only to shock his actors with such unprecedented requests as asking them to fly across the stage, talk to fairies made out of light and don dog and crocodile costumes. Then, just as Barrie is ready to introduce the world to "Peter Pan," a tragic twist of fate will make the writer and those he loves most understand just what it means to really believe.

National Board of Review
Best Film
Outstanding Film Music Composition
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7 Academy Award Nominations, 1 Win
Best Picture
Best Actor - Johnny Depp
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Film Editing
Best Art Direction
Best Costume Design
Best Original Score

2 comments:

Univarn said...

Great movie, fun and heartbreaking, great breakthrough performances it would have won all the art awards had it not been for Aviator.

Rae Kasey said...

Freddie Highmore blew. me. away. in this. Obviously it's Johnny Depp's show, but that little guy was great.

I think a lot of people thought this movie was lightweight but I was really excited when it was nominated. I think it'd be nice if moving family fare got in more often. Of course, family fare isn't often made well anymore, so that's probably part of the problem...

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