Reviews

Of course you can't really compare Herr Lehmann to dramatic history reenactments like Der Untergang.

But Herr Lehman is so full of comedy, but also full of authenticism and a plot not devoid of drama. It's dialogues are outstanding, but then the book the film is based on was exceptional to begin with. And the best thing is, if you like the movie, you will like the books. Sven Regener managed to show his talent in storytelling and humour in both art forms, book and movie. The connections he makes, the way he connects what actually happens to Frank Lehmann's thoughts is the best use of basic rhetoric means I ever saw. He doesn't use the "rhetoric artillery" so to speak, but achieves literary greatness nevertheless.

The acting is on par with the quality of the script though. Even if I didn't expect Christian Ulmen to do any good acting ever, he produced the perfect rendition of the lazy, slightly hedonistic, disoriented Herr Lehmann. Detlev Buck is outstanding as well, as is nearly everybody in the supporting cast.

10/10 for humour, artistic style, acting, all that while staying serious.

This movie totally touched me. It's not the Titanic-type drama touching you on a tragic level. It's a fairy tale in itself, with it's theme, plot and images touching me like hardly any movie has before. The only other movies that have touched me in a similar way were Amélie and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Similar to both of the afore mentioned, the composition of images in Finding Neverland is helping a great deal to create the atmosphere of the movie. The movie is so fairy tale like to me mostly because it just feels like it's all playing in your imagination, with bright and colorful pictures, in front of the advancing and serious plot, but with childish interludes, catching the spirit of J.M.Barrie's Peter Pan play.

For the actors, they don't really shine but do a good job at playing what was demanded of them. Notable exceptions are the Barrie kids, who stroke me as absolutely perfect for their roles. Johnny Depp's go at the very English accent is a good one too. The score, the cinematography, the jokes, the dialogue... Everything is perfect or not even average enough to spoil this great movie for me.