Review of Winter's Tale (2014) by Kelly D — 16 Feb 2014

Watch the first 2/3rds of the movie and then leave. The first 2/3rds are set in early 1900s and the fantastical and magical story worked if you let yourself be immersed in the beauty of that time. But the instant the story went to the year 2014, the illusion was shattered and you could see how preposterous it all was without the cocoon of romanticized history coddling the mystical elements.

The love story between Peter and Beverly was wonderful - again, as long as you let yourself be swept up in their romance. It wasn't practical, but then neither was the film. The only disappointment was in the last 1/3 when the filmmakers tried to justify the lovers' story with an incredibly pale and too-neat wrap up. It was almost like a slap in the face of their story. I'm not usually one to opt for longer films, but in this case, they needed to flesh out the modern storyline to bring it up to par with the 1900s one. It really seemed like two films; one I'd watch over and over again and one I wish I never wasted my time with.

Note: I saw the book in a store and it's almost 700 pages. Suddenly, the rushed ending makes sense.