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by Willie Waffle

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Finding Neverland

Every year, one movie comes out and hits me emotionally like no other. Last year, it was Big Fish, which was my pick for best movie of the year. This year, the frontrunner is Finding Neverland.

Set in 1904 (and not a totally true story), Finding Neverland features Johnny Depp as James Barrie - the famous playwright coming off another stinker. Sadly, Barrie is facing all sorts of troubles, both professional and personal. His financial backer, Charles Frohman (Dustin Hoffman), is worried, but hesitantly supportive; his wife, Mary (Rhada Mitchell), sleeps in a separate bedroom and questions Barrie's dedication to the marriage; and he's having trouble writing his next play, which better be a hit.

One day, James heads to the park looking for inspiration, and finds it in the form of four little boys and their widowed mother, Sylvia (Kate Winslet). As he spends his days playing with the boys, James finds the play that is running around in his head, and tries to get it produced against massive odds and some opposition.

Will anyone let him produce his new play, Peter Pan? Will his marriage fall apart? What is the relationship with Sylvia?

Finding Neverland is a story featuring the battle of imagination versus all of those people and events that want us to get our heads out of the clouds to face adulthood and responsibility, but it is also a tender story about love and opening up your heart. Director Marc Forster and writer David Magee (based on the play by Allan Knee) brilliantly take us into James Barrie's mind to show us his wild imagination at work, while also tearing at our heartstrings as the movie moves from dramatic to uplifting and inspirational. Forster and Barrie show us Barrie's faults, his immaturity and his brilliance in a story that draws you in emotionally at every twist and turn. Meanwhile, Depp makes Barrie a sympathetic, lovable character made more complex by those faults, bad decisions and his undying dedication to his art.

As some psychiatrist might say, Depp finds his inner child and unleashes him with reckless abandon, but never loses dignity or becomes silly. Our hero is shown to be childlike in his avoidance of real issues, problems, and managing his own image, yet, wildly creative and loving when playing with the children and interacting with the Sylvia's family. Depp draws us in with those soulful eyes that show us his pain, his love and his happiness at all of the right times. It's a performance for the ages, and one that makes him one of the top Oscar contenders. He makes us stand up and take notice, not by imitating a person we know, but by creating one from the ground up, complete with accent and everything else.  Winslet is another actor who emerges from the movie with great Oscar hopes.

Between Finding Neverland and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Winslet has reaffirmed her standing as one of the most talented actresses working today. As Sylvia, Winslet shows us the strength Barrie lacks. Her character is the meaty one with the major dramatic challenge, and as her situation gets worse and worse, Winslet always fills her with amazing strength, while allowing the soft side to break through at all of the right moments. Even Mitchell captured my attention as the cold, angry wife. While she might be considered a villain, it's more complex than that, and Mitchell shows us both sides.

Finding Neverland is my favorite movie of the year.

5 Waffles (Out Of 4)

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