Finding Neverland

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details about Finding Neverland 's classification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Finding Neverland completed by Young Media Australia (YMA) on 8 January 2005.

Overall comments and recommendations

Finding Neverland is based on the life of J.M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan and is “inspired by true events”. It is a charming movie set in London , 1903 and relates the story of the relationship between James Barrie and the widowed Sylvia Llewellyn Davies and her four sons. Johnny Depp is excellent as the gentle, childlike Barrie as are the four boys who play the Davies' children. The special effects are all very well done. It's a movie that could appeal to all ages.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.

YMA review

This review of the movie Finding Neverland contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• use of violence
• material that may scare children
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie's message

A synopsis of the story

In London , 1903, James Barrie is an aspiring playwright, however his new play ‘fails to impress'. His wife Mary is no comfort to him, so he finds solace in taking his St. Bernard dog for a run in the park. It is there that he meets the Llewellyn Davies boys, George, Jack, Peter and Michael who introduce him to their recently widowed mother Sylvia. James really enjoys the company of the young boys but he also enjoys Sylvia's company and the two become great friends. James becomes a welcome member of the family and plays imaginary games with the boys, but Peter refuses to use his imagination, and seems to have suffered the most from his father's death. This became a challenge to James and is the reason he starts to write the story of Peter Pan.

The relationship between James and Sylvia causes some problems, however, as James is still a married man and Sylvia's mother, who is financially supporting her, tries unsuccessfully to bring it to an end. Gossip is rife in the community and questions are also raised about the relationship between James and the boys. James refuses to acknowledge the gossip and continues the relationship while writing his new book. However tragedy again strikes this unfortunate family as Sylvia becomes ill with a serious chest illness. Nevertheless the play, Peter Pan is a great success at the theatre and its legacy remains today.

Use of violence

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is a little violence in this movie. Imaginary violence includes the boys play fighting as Indians and pretending to shoot guns and James pretending to be Captain Hook, prodding at the boys with his hook.

Other violence that is not imaginary includes:

• The boys argue and have a real fist fight
• Peter is very upset when his mother gets sick and smashes a lot of things in the house
• George falls from a rope which is suspended to make him fly and breaks his arm.

Material that may scare children

Under eight

Children under eight are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations, the death of a parent or child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

There is some material in this movie that could scare children in this age group:

• James appears menacing as Captain Hook with a scar face, eye patch and wielding a sword
• In James's imagination the boys fly out of their bedroom window
• In their imaginary pirate game, a shark comes out of the water snapping its jaws
• Sylvia is very sick and has a bad coughing fit. She eventually walks off into ‘Neverland' which is symbolic of her dying. A funeral is held for her.
• Neverland is produced as a theatre set and some of the creatures are a bit scary looking.
• Fairy Tinkerbell's light goes out which means she's dying.

Aged eight to thirteen

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

Children in this age group would not be scared by this movie but they could be upset by the fact that the four boys are left without either parent.

Over the age of thirteen

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

Children in this age group would not be scared by this movie.

Sexual references

There is a reference to the concerns about James' relationship with the boys.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is no nudity or sexual activity.

Use of substances

There is mild substance use:

• Mary Barrie drinks wine at home.
• The producer smokes a cigar.

Coarse language

There is no coarse language.

The movie's message

There is no particular message in this movie as it is mainly biographical.

Values parents may wish to encourage include:

• endurance through adversity
• the role of imaginative play in children's lives.

The issue of a married man having a relationship with another woman and society's reactions to this, could be used by parents to discuss with their children what their own family's values are, and what the real life consequences can be of such a situation.