A baby set adrift in New York Harbor like an immigrant Moses; a flying white horse like a reincarnated Pegasus; a dying virgin with long red tresses who lives like Rapunzel in a castle tower; winter scenes like Hallmark Christmas cards with glitter on the snow; a raging furnace like the boiler of a titanic ocean liner; a mysterious man who never ages. A fairy tale? A dream? A myth? Or just an overblown disaster designed to lose money for a production company's tax write-off? Wasting the talents of a stellar cast that includes four Oscar winners and a pair of former nominees, Akiva Goldman's "Winter's Tale" is a head-scratching "WTF is this?" kind of movie. Perhaps dreamy pre-pubescent girls may take this romantic tale to heart, or those who have suffered through countless viewings of "Somewhere in Time" may be entranced at a new take on timeless love. However, the flagrant waste of money and talent on this drivel is unconscionable; the millions would have been better spent feeding the hungry or housing the homeless.
Colin Farrell's good looks manage to overcome an atrocious haircut, and his talent keeps him from embarrassing himself as the ageless lover and retired thief on the flying white horse. Perhaps inspired by "The Thief of Baghdad," Goldman, who produced, wrote, and directed this film, goes into his own flights of fantasy as the film dreamily shifts back and forth in time; only the flying carpet is missing. Among the film's few highlights is Eva Marie Sainte, who makes a brief, but effective, appearance late in the film; looking lovely and gracious, she manages to breathe some credibility into her role as the mature version of an earlier character. Despite their proved talent, William Hurt, Russell Crowe, Will Smith, Jennifer Connelly, and Graham Greene fail to register strongly, and some of them may grimace when they see their scenes in the final cut.
The wasted talent extends to cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and composer Hans Zimmer. Based on a novel by Mark Helprin, "Winter's Tale" is a film of many mysteries. Why did this cast sign on? Did anyone read the script? How was the production money raised? Did anyone read the script? Possibly in the hands of a capable director (Ang Lee and his success with the seemingly unfilmable "Life of Pi" comes to mind) this material could have been an imaginative tale of undying love that soared and sent sales of Kleenex through the roof. However, Goldman's touch is leaden, and his concept of romance was ripped from 19th-century school girls' fiction. Perhaps the female lead, Jessica Brown Findlay, who shows promise in the role of a red-headed consumptive virgin, can use the experience and connections made with the star-studded cast to find a better role to suit her talents. The rest of the cast can only hope their appearance herein will quickly be forgotten and not blot their resumes.
Colin Farrell's good looks manage to overcome an atrocious haircut, and his talent keeps him from embarrassing himself as the ageless lover and retired thief on the flying white horse. Perhaps inspired by "The Thief of Baghdad," Goldman, who produced, wrote, and directed this film, goes into his own flights of fantasy as the film dreamily shifts back and forth in time; only the flying carpet is missing. Among the film's few highlights is Eva Marie Sainte, who makes a brief, but effective, appearance late in the film; looking lovely and gracious, she manages to breathe some credibility into her role as the mature version of an earlier character. Despite their proved talent, William Hurt, Russell Crowe, Will Smith, Jennifer Connelly, and Graham Greene fail to register strongly, and some of them may grimace when they see their scenes in the final cut.
The wasted talent extends to cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and composer Hans Zimmer. Based on a novel by Mark Helprin, "Winter's Tale" is a film of many mysteries. Why did this cast sign on? Did anyone read the script? How was the production money raised? Did anyone read the script? Possibly in the hands of a capable director (Ang Lee and his success with the seemingly unfilmable "Life of Pi" comes to mind) this material could have been an imaginative tale of undying love that soared and sent sales of Kleenex through the roof. However, Goldman's touch is leaden, and his concept of romance was ripped from 19th-century school girls' fiction. Perhaps the female lead, Jessica Brown Findlay, who shows promise in the role of a red-headed consumptive virgin, can use the experience and connections made with the star-studded cast to find a better role to suit her talents. The rest of the cast can only hope their appearance herein will quickly be forgotten and not blot their resumes.