Watch Kids' Reviews of
FINDING NEVERLAND

This is an enchanting, wondrous, emotional film that is not your typical fairytale. The story is inspired by true events about playwright J.M. Barrie (Johnny Depp), and his platonic relationship with Sylvia Davis (Kate Winslet) and her four sons. His time with the boys inspires Barrie to write a play about never growing up - Peter Pan.

This film has two of the biggest box-office stars in movie history; Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. In my opinion, this is one of Depp's best roles. Winslet does a spectacular job playing a widowed mother dealing with her rambunctious sons. Together, Johnny and Kate make this dramatic movie believable. The kids are a marvel. One in particular, Freddie Highmore who plays Peter, does an amazing job working with Depp. The connection between J.M and all the boys feels real and never ending. Although, in reality, Barrie met the Davies before their father died, you have to remember this is an adaptation and changes must sometimes be made. Barrie's bio states that he and Mrs. Davies were engaged during the time of the events in this movie. I am happy that this was left out, because it's a lot more powerful with them being in a kinship and not a romantic relationship.

My favorite character is J.M Barrie (Johnny Depp), our protagonist. What is so fascinating about him is the way he looks at the world through the eyes of a child. He's imagination soars like Peter Pan flying into Neverland, but he can clearly, and sometimes painfully, distinguish between fairy-tales and the real world.

My favorite scene is Peter and Barrie talking on a bench. This scene happens after a tragic event and Peter is talking about it with Barrie. This is one of those tear jerking scenes, a perfectly written, quiet moment between two open hearts. I give a lot of credit to Freddie for making this scene work so well.

The moral of the story is, "Your imagination can be powerful." Peter believes if you can't see, hear or touch it, doesn't exist. He soon discovers that he may be wrong and this is shown flawlessly.

I give this 5 out of 5 stars and recommend this for 7 to 17 year olds. This is a perfect family film. It's smart and imaginative. When you get older you may think that the moral is cheesy, but that's unlikely.

Keefer C. Blakeslee, age 13, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.

If you are a lover of out-of-this-world movies then you'll love Finding Neverland. This movie is mostly about J.M Barrie's friendship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan.

"Finding Neverland" is the story of a man (J.M Barrie, a Scottish playwright), who doesn't want to grow up, and writes the story about a boy who never does. The boy is Peter Pan (Kelly Macdonald), and the man's name is Sir J.M. Barrie, who wrote his famous play after falling under the spell of a widow and her four young boys. Barrie was married at the time, but ignored his wife, moved into the widow's home and had an uncanny interest in the boys raised little suspicion but would make this story play very differently today. Johnny Depp's performance makes Barrie not only believable, but acceptable. And he does it without any odd implications about his behavior: The movie doesn't show Barrie as a "family friend," but shows him very close and shows that he cares about the widow and her boys. He needs something new, and quickly, because his impresario (Dustin Hoffman) has a lease on the house and needs to keep it filled. In Kensington Gardens, Barrie comes upon the Davies family: the mother, Sylvia (Kate Winslet), and her boys Peter, George, Jack and Michael. As he watches them at play, a kind of inspiration begins to glow in his eyes. They represent an innocence and purity that strikes him so powerfully he's unable to think of anything else. He plays games with the boys. He wrestles with a big stuffed bear. He leads them in games involving pirates and cowboys and Indians. He dresses in funny costumes. The children like him and Sylvia is grateful for his attention, especially since she has developed an alarming cough and he helps take care of the boys. The only holdout is Peter, played by Freddie Highmore in a remarkable performance. If Barrie never grew up, Peter was perhaps never a child. He is wise and solemn, feels the loss of his father more sharply than his brothers, and boldly tells Barrie: "You're not my father." Nor does Barrie want to be; he wants to be his brother. Sylvia's condition worsens and when the boys stage a play in the family garden, it's cut short by her coughing. The boys are reassured that nothing serious is wrong, but Peter is sure they're lying to him about her illness: "I won't be made a fool!"

The main characters are Johnny Depp (Sir James Matthew Barrie), Kate Winslet (Sylvia Llewelyn Davies), Julie Christie (Mrs.Emma du Maurier), Peter Llewelyn Davies (Freddie Highmore), Jack Llewelyn Davies ( Joe Prospero), George Llewelyn Davies (Nick Roud ), Michael Llewelyn Davies (Luke Spill), Kelly Macdonald (Peter Pan), Dustin Hoffman (Charles Frohmann), and Radha Mitchell (Mary Ansell Barrie).

What I like about this movie is the part where Peter makes a play and it goes well and then his mother, Sylvia starts coughing. He thinks they know that she is sick and no one wants to tell him anything. Sir James Matthew Barrie says that he doesn't know and Peter starts destroying the whole set he made for the play. One part in this movie that I don't like is the part where Peter thinks that J.M Barrie is trying to replace their father and I think that it makes J.M Barrie feel bad.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who loves imagination, Peter Pan and Neverland. It's a family movie and anyone can watch it. I give this movie 4 out of five stars because it wasn't very clear to me what was happening during some parts of the movie.

Valdi Belizaire, Age 11, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic

This is an interesting film about the back-story behind the writer/creator of Peter Pan. It deals with the oddities of J.M. Barrie's relationship with four boys and his mother who motivated him to explore his idea of childhood and never growing up. It brings up questions that apparently weren't an issue during his lifetime but certainly would be today - not unlike Michael Jackson's relationship with young boys. But whether there were improprieties or not is not the question here, it simply profiles an interesting man who created a fantasy character that we have enjoyed ever since.

The story of J.M. Barrie's friendship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan. Starring Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Radha Mitchell, Freddie Highmore and Kelly Macdonald.