Sweetness that doesn't turn saccharine is hard to find these days; Finding Neverland hits the mark. Much credit is due to the actors: Johnny Depp applies his genius for sly whimsy in his portrayal of playwright J. M. Barrie, who finds inspiration for his greatest creation from four lively boys, the sons of widow Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Kate Winslet, who miraculously fuses romantic yearning with common sense). Though the friendship threatens his already dwindling marriage, Barrie spends endless hours with the boys, pretending to be pirates or Indians--and gradually the elements of Peter Pan take shape in his mind. The relationship between Barrie and the Llewelyn Davies family sparks both an imagined world and a quiet rebellion against the stuffy forces of respectability, given physical form by Barrie's resentful wife (Radha Mitchell, High Art) and Sylvia's mother (Julie Christie, McCabe and Mrs. Miller). This gentle silliness could have turned to treacle, but Depp and Winslet--along with newcomer Freddie Highmore as one of the boys--keep their feet on the earth while their eyes gaze into their dreams. Also featuring a comically crusty turn from Dustin Hoffman (who appeared in another Peter Pan-themed movie, Hook) as a long-suffering theater producer. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Rating:
Summary: Wonderous Story
Comment: Finding Neverland is one of Johnny Depp's best performances. Why? Because you look at him and really believe that the dreams of a child still dwell within him. That's part of the magic of Finding Neverland. The blu-ray edition is beautiful to look at. All of the make-believe sequences really stand out. The audio is solid. It only contains the special features from the regular DVD, but that's not a big selling point for me. What is a selling point for me is that even in the face of adversity, this movie reminds you that you can believe whatever you want and make it real. Watching the expressions of the children during the opening night of Peter Pan made me weep. It was so wonderful to see the hope and joy in their eyes. As an adult it's easy to get lost in the minutiae of everyday life, but this movie (as does The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) allows us to be as free as we want. Imagination, memory, and will are all we need, and we can then go to Neverland.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Finding Neverland - Blu-ray Info
Comment: Version: U.S.A / Region Free
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
MPEG-2 BD-50
Running time: 1:41:05
Movie size: 23,59 GB
Disc size: 26,83 GB
Average video bit rate: 20.85 Mbps
LPCM 5.1 6912Kbps English
DD AC3 5.1 640Kbps English / Spanish

Subtitles: English SDH / Spanish / Traditional Chinese / Korean

#Audio commentary
#The Magic of Finding Neverland
#Movie showcase
#Creating Neverland
#Deleted Scenes With Optional Audio Commentary
#Outtakes
#On The Red Carpet

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Classic, they don't make too many movies like this anymore.
Comment: Finding Neverland is a very emotional and inspiring movie that resonates the soul. I thoroughly enjoyed the story of the author who wrote Peter Pan and the imagination and artistic fortitude that existed in those times. I also enjoyed the underlying love story that focused on caring for people unconditionally. The cinemotagraphy, to the acting is all first class. Sorry, no violence in this one bro.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Conversations difficult to understand
Comment: Clarity of speech needs to be improved say our guests who viewed the DVD with us. I agree. Volume had to be boosted significantly.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Welcome to Blu-Ray
Comment: My sons insist that blu-ray is the way to go, so I did. After watching 'Happy Feet' with them I was sold. The detail is amazing. Finding Neverland is one of my favorite story-within-a-story movies. I don't buy all movies on blu-ray (meaning some of the ones I already own), but this one had to be. It's wonderfully done. Kate Winslet is so ethereally beautiful that I love her in anything, and Johnny Depp is perfect in the part. Her boys, befriended by Depp at a time when their mother was dying, were made more thoughtful and appreciative of the magic of the story of Peter Pan and its first debut on the London stage. I love watching the face of a little boy seeing his first 'magical' performance without the blase' expression which kids now would show to anything not graphically enhanced.

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