Oscar Got It Wrong!: Best Actor 2004

The Contenders:

Leonardo DiCaprio: The Aviator
Johnny Depp: Finding Neverland
Don Cheadle: Hotel Rwanda
Clint Eastwood: Million Dollar Baby
Jamie Foxx: Ray (winner)

Oscar Got It Wrong!: Best Adapted Screenplay 2004

The Contenders:

Before Sunset
Finding Neverland
Million Dollar Baby
The Motorcycle Diaries
Sideways (winner)

Oscar Got It Wrong!: Best Picture 2004

The Contenders:

The Aviator
Finding Neverland
Million Dollar Baby (winner)
Ray
Sideways

...And Straight on 'Til Morning

Film: Finding Neverland
Format: Streaming video from Amazon Prime on rockin’ flatscreen.

I don’t have proof of this, but I suspect that the reason Johnny Depp wanted to play J.M. Barrie in Finding Neverland is that he got to dress up like a pirate for part of it. Depp has been nominated for Best Actor three times. He played a pirate for one of these roles and a mass murderer for another. It certainly seems to fit that he’d also be nominated for a role in which he plays a man whose most famous creation involves a murderous pirate.

Finding Neverland isn’t the story of Barrie’s life, but the story of the creation of Peter Pan, Barrie’s enduring play/movie/book/childhood experience. As the film starts, Barrie’s latest play, financed by Charles Frohman (Dustin Hoffman) has turned out to be a bust and a financial failure. Barrie, looking for new inspiration, spends his days at a nearby park. It is here that he meets the Davies children: George (Nick Roud), Jack (Joe Prospero), Peter (Freddie Highmore), and Michael (Luke Spill).