Review of Winter's Tale (2014) by Mrmoviebuff — 27 Feb 2016

'Winter's Tale' was a movie you can imagine I was pretty excited for, a fantasy love story on Valentine's Day. Plus, the trailers and the poster made it look very interesting, and it had a pretty respectable cast.

This movie was not at all what I expected.

'Winter's Tale' is a sometimes confused, oddly paced and strangely structured picture that feels like you are watching two different movies at once. Certain scenes of character development seem a little rushed, and you want to get yourself invested, but for some reason, this movie pushes you further and further away.

Colin Farrell plays a man named Peter Lake who, as a child, was sent away on a boat. As an adult, he spends most of his life stealing and hiding from a man who is after him named Pearly (an over the top Russell Crowe). Peter ends up just coming across some white horse that appears to be magical, as it can fly and disappear when it chooses to do so.

During his journey, he comes across a young girl named Beverly (Jessica Brown Findlay) who appears to be dying, and he feels as if it's his job to look after her, and make her better. They instantly fall in love, but it feels very abrupt that they feel this way...one moment she is supposed to be scared of him, the next, they are just instantly into each other.

Pearly finds out about this, and tries all he can to stop Lake in his tracks. Russell Crowe's thick Irish accent makes it hard to take him seriously, and he overacts to the point where it feels like a parody of the book that this was adapted from.

The dialogue here is a little corny as well, "You...are...impossibly beautiful" so says Peter as he looks deeper into Beverly's eyes. "Stop, or I'll melt all the snow I am standing on" answers Beverly and Peter then says "Give me a chance and you'll melt all the snow in the world". This dialogue is not quite as terrible as the ones you hear in 'Star Wars: Attack of the Clones' (2002), but it could've gone down that route.

The second half of the movie takes place almost 100 years later in present day, and Peter seems to have no memory of what's happened to him, he cannot even remember his own identity. But he feels like he has some unfinished business, hence why he is still alive, and Pearly...who somehow is also in present day, knows about this, and still is intent to try and stop him.

The movie is the directorial debut of Akiva Goldsman, who also wrote 'A Beautiful Mind' (2001), and 'Cinderella Man' (2005), but also wrote 'Batman & Robin' (1997) and 'Lost In Space' (1998). For a director, he has the right visual tone as to how this movie should look, the cinematography by Caleb Deschanel is inspired also. It's just, maybe Goldsman should've hired some other writers to write the screenplay where it feels less rushed and less corny from time to time.

I did find myself rooting for Farrell's character, but ultimately, everybody else in this movie seemed like an exaggeration of whatever it is they are supposed to represent. Jessica Brown Findlay, while she is a good actress, seems almost lifeless in the role, and I know, she is supposed to be playing a dying girl. I've also mentioned how over the top Russell Crowe is, so we can leave it at that.

'Winter's Tale' is a well-meaning, but ultimately forgettable and sometimes bland effort.