Johnny Depp delivers one of his finest performances in "Finding Neverland," a loose biopic of author J. M. Barrie, who penned the timeless classic "Peter Pan." Depp, who plays Barrie, will no doubt earn himself his second Oscar nomination in two years (his last nomination was for his role in "Pirates of the Caribbean.") Though there are a few scenes in which Depp's character resembles the fascinating Captain Jack Sparrow, don't let yourself confuse the two performances. While both are memorable and Oscar-worthy, Depp plays a far more complex character in this film. Depp has a knack for playing eccentric characters; one could classify Barrie as an eccentric, but that would only be prodding at the surface. The psyche of Barrie is one that has drawn much debate over the years. His relationships with the Davies boys, their mother and also his wife have intrigued many, and Depp does a brilliant job of conveying Barrie's complex character.

The movie opens with an extremely disenchanted Barrie. His latest play has flopped and his manager (Dustin Hoffman) is praying for a masterpiece. Barrie's marriage is also failing, and he finds himself searching for a source of inspiration. Barrie finds his inspiration in Kensington Park one afternoon after a chance encounter with the Llewelyn Davies family: a widowed mother, Sylvia (Kate Winslet), and her four sons Peter, George, Jack and Michael. As Barrie watches the young boys play, he is reminded of the pure and magical innocence that only children possess. Barrie begins to spend more and more time with the family, not without objections from Barrie's wife (Radha Mitchell) and Sylvia's very socially conscious mother, Emma du Maurier (Julie Christie).

As Barrie grows closer to the family and begins to play regularly with the children, he draws inspiration from them-the inspiration that fuels his work-in-progress. Barrie's relationship with the Davies family draws a few eyebrows as well, and the movie does not pretend that his adoration and unconditional love for the family go unnoticed. The movie does not linger on accusations of pedophilia or infidelity, however, mostly due to Depp's genuine and honest portrayal of Barrie. Depp is successful in allowing us to believe that his behavior is devoid of any of these implications. On the contrary, what audience members may question is not if Barrie was sexually attracted to the young boys, but rather if Barrie was ever sexually attracted to anyone at all. The death of his older brother forced Barrie into adulthood early in his life, and some suggest that he never fully made the transition from child to adult.

"Finding Neverland," which is based on Alan Knee's play "The Man Who Was Peter Pan," periodically distorts history. Sylvia was not yet widowed or ill when she met Barrie, and she had five young sons, one of whom was an infant. However, director Marc Forster ("Monster's Ball") and writer David Magee should not be condemned for their rewriting of what was. The compressed biographical details allow for a much more believable story line-how would Sylvia's husband have reacted to a 43-year-old man's obsession with his young children? Furthermore, the emotional climax of the movie would not have been possible.

The climax of "Finding Neverland" is the private showing of Barrie's newly finished play, "Peter Pan," to an ailing Sylvia that leaves the entire play audience in tears. Barrie advises his skeptical manager to invite London's orphans to the opening night and scatter them about the theatre in hopes that their joyful laughs will inspire the adults in the audience to see the magic of the play. If anything, that was Barrie's intention: He wanted everyone to recapture the magic of their childhoods and, more importantly, to realize that although growing up may be inevitable, one does not need to leave that world behind. Sure, Barrie wanted us to "clap if [we] believe[d] in fairies," but what he really wanted was for us to remember what it felt like to simply believe the way we once did.

"Finding Neverland" has an all-star cast, with particularly noteworthy performances by Depp and young Peter, played by Freddie Highmore. (The pair worked so well together that they will renew their partnership in the new adaptation of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.") Once again, Depp is at his finest and continues to reassure both audiences and critics alike that he will prove to be one of the greatest actors of our time.