Just as J. M. Barrie was inspired by the Llewelyn Davies family when he wrote "Peter Pan", you could say that "Finding Neverland" is inspired by the life of J.M. Barrie. Because whilst "Finding Neverland" acknowledges elements of J.M. Barrie's life, his friendship with the Llewelyn Davies family and the creation of his now famous story this is very much a dramatised, fantasy account which attempts to bring the imagination of J.M. Barrie to life. Is it any good, surprisingly so as whilst it manages to skip over many elements of Barrie's life, embellishing others and changing the truth on more than once occasion it manages to be fun, dramatic and touching portraying J.M. Barrie as almost misunderstood.

It's 1903 and author & playwright J.M. Barrie (Johnny Depp - Chocolat) is at a career low as his latest play proved to be another turkey. Whilst walking his dog "Porthos" he comes across the Llewelyn Davies family and immediately entertains the young boys with his tale of a dancing bear, enacted out with his dog. It's not long before Barrie becomes part of the Llewelyn Davies family, despite objections from Mrs. Emma du Maurier (Julie Christie - Doctor Zhivago) . Regarded as Uncle Jimmy which not only causes issue in his own marriage but raises speculation amongst society. But whilst watching the family and playing with the boys it inspires him to write "Peter Pan".

"Finding Neverland" starts with Barrie suffering another turkey of a play, as he hides back stage peering from behind the curtain half nervous, half excited. It's a clever start because it immediately starts to create the character of Barrie, a grown man who has a few childlike tendencies. What follows has a distinct biographical feel as we learn all about his marriage to Mary Ansell, the frostiness of it as they appear to want different things and on to the meeting with the Llewelyn Davies family who he spent more and more time with becoming the inspiration for the characters in "Peter Pan".

But "Finding Neverland" mixes fact with fiction; it changes many elements of the truth in dramatizing events. For example in "Finding Neverland" Barrie meets the Llewelyn Davies family and in particular Sylvia Llewelyn Davies some time after her husband had died, where in truth Sylvia's husband died after Barrie grew to know the family. This is just one of many of the liberties which have been taken with the truth in order to make "Finding Neverland" work on screen and in this case pave way to the suggested deeper feelings between Barrie and Sylvia. But this messing about with the facts doesn't actually matter as the essence of Barrie's life and in particular his friendship with the Llewelyn Davies family is still there.

Although at the same time there are certain elements of Barrie's life are glossed over, such as his childlike friendship with children. There is a moment's insinuation in the movie that Barrie's friendship with young boys is improper, but it is glossed over. Now for the sake of the movie it works, this is a fantasy dramatisation of Barrie's life rather than a truthful biopic and focussing on more of the gritty elements would have changed the movies emotion. But at the same time it makes it far less of a real biopic.

Aside from the look at Barrie's life "Finding Neverland" tries to bring to life the childlike imagination which he had. Scenes where Barrie is playing with the Llewelyn Davies children in the garden in some make believe game of pirates flits between reality and Barrie's vivid imagination with them dressed as pirates on the high sees. Early on we see him entertain the kids in the park pretending that his dog "Porthos" is in fact a dancing bear and again if flits between reality and his vivid imagination with him in a circus dancing with a bear. It most definitely makes the movie come to life, painting this wonderful picture of a man who unlike so many of us managed to hold on to his youthful imagination.

At the same time "Finding Neverland" also paints a picture of Barrie being not so much an oddball but someone who was both gentle and kind but also a little quirky. And who better to play such a textured character other than Johnny Depp, who I have to say gives one of his better, more restrained performances yet at the same time still gives the character a sense of child like energy. Although it has to be said that I am not entirely sure where he got the accent, heavy Scottish one moment, soft and almost unrecognizable the next it makes it a little too strange.

Aside from Johnny Depp who really is the star of "Finding Neverland" there is a solid performance from Kate Winslet as Sylvia Llewelyn Davies and an innocently charming one from a very young looking Freddie Highmore. Although the most striking of the supporting performances comes from Julie Christie as Sylvia's pushy mother Mrs. Emma du Maurier, an almost villainous character played brilliantly by Christie who it has to be said still looks amazing.

What this all boils down to is that "Finding Neverland" is a wonderfully entertaining movie which whilst technically a biopic of sorts is much more of a fictionalized account of the life of J.M. Barrie. It blends fiction and fantasy and in doing so takes us on a journey into the imagination of J.M. Barrie as the Llewelyn Davies family inspire him to write "Peter Pan".