Winter's Tale

Name: Winter's Tale
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Fantasy, Romance
Released: February 14, 2014
Duration: 118 min
Rating: 31
Cast: Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Russell Crowe, Will Smith, William Hurt

2014

METASCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 35 Critics

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 78 Ratings

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5.1	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 78 Ratings

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WINTER'S TALE

Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. | Release Date: February 14, 2014

Starring: Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Russell Crowe, Will Smith, William Hurt

Summary: Set in a mythic New York City and spanning more than a century, Winter's Tale is a story of miracles, crossed destinies, and the age-old battle between good and evil.

Director: Akiva Goldsman

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Fantasy, Romance

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 118 min

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Critic Reviews

San Francisco Chronicle - Mick LaSalle

Feb 13, 2014

It is partly a failure, but mostly it succeeds, and the film's aspiration is so enormous that that's enough for a moving experience. Read full review

Boston Globe - Ty Burr

Feb 13, 2014

Goldsman takes Helprin’s book — a work overflowing with events, ideas, characters, passions — and pounds away at it until all that’s left is mush. Read full review

ReelViews - James Berardinelli

Feb 14, 2014

On a purely narrative level, Winter's Tale missteps early and often. Its earnestness is its downfall, resulting in opportunities for unintentional humor. Read full review

The Dissolve - Genevieve Koski

Feb 13, 2014

It’s a greeting card of film, full of platitudes and pleasant imagery, and destined to be thrown in a drawer and forgotten in short order. Read full review

The Hollywood Reporter - Todd McCarthy

Feb 12, 2014

Aspiring transcendent love stories don't come much more claptrappy and unconvincing than Winter's Tale. Read full review

New York Post - Lou Lumenick

Feb 13, 2014

Basically a much schmaltzier fantasy version of “Love Story.’’ Read full review

The Playlist - Drew Taylor

Feb 12, 2014

The entire movie feels belabored, lumbering from one awful, over-dressed set piece to another. It's wrongheaded, it's horrendous, it's filled with lines of dialogue that are utter howlers, and yet, it's the type of movie that feels so confident that it really is something. It is, in fact, not. Read full review

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User Reviews

Jammora

Oct 22, 2014

If you are well educated in the realm of mythology and don't HAVE to have the laws of a mystical system explained to you like a ten year old then this movie will definitely appeal to you. With an all star cast this movie was all I expected and more. Honestly, I went to see this movie basedIf you are well educated in the realm of mythology and don't HAVE to have the laws of a mystical system explained to you like a ten year old then this movie will definitely appeal to you. With an all star cast this movie was all I expected and more. Honestly, I went to see this movie based on the advice of one of my very favorite writers, Neil Gaiman, and was not disappointed in the least. It's sad to find out the movie did so poorly at the box office. Unfortunately, main stream movie goers won't have the patience or intellect to enjoy this film. As such, it is destined to become a cult classic if the few of us who appreciated it manage to tell our friends and family.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JulesMa

Jun 2, 2014

I loved it! The storyline the actors and their playing .. everything fits in and I can't understand critics who high-rate X-Men but down-rate Winters Tale because its not realistic or logic enough? Can u explain? I cannot. Winter's tale is a beautiful movie for the whole family and showsI loved it! The storyline the actors and their playing .. everything fits in and I can't understand critics who high-rate X-Men but down-rate Winters Tale because its not realistic or logic enough? Can u explain? I cannot. Winter's tale is a beautiful movie for the whole family and shows that critics aren't everything.

Btw.. X-Men is great too :>… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

aliceanderson

Feb 18, 2014

Perhaps I went into the theatre prepared to love it. But I truly did love this movie. The book is one of my favorites, and this is not the book, but it does have plenty of moments of its enchantment. I don't think you will like or even be able to follow this movie, or accept it in any way,Perhaps I went into the theatre prepared to love it. But I truly did love this movie. The book is one of my favorites, and this is not the book, but it does have plenty of moments of its enchantment. I don't think you will like or even be able to follow this movie, or accept it in any way, without having read the book. You have to have a certain understanding, and acceptance, I think.… Expand

3 of 7 users found this helpful34

FilipeNeto

Mar 18, 2018

I'm another person who saw the movie and did not read the book or never heard of it. In fact, I don't even know if it was translated to my mother tongue. But I liked the movie. He has an implicit idea that love is a magical feeling that overcomes barriers. We can find it in literature andI'm another person who saw the movie and did not read the book or never heard of it. In fact, I don't even know if it was translated to my mother tongue. But I liked the movie. He has an implicit idea that love is a magical feeling that overcomes barriers. We can find it in literature and almost all poetry, where impossible lovers abound, with more or less tragic consequences. So the idea of this film is not new, but almost always works well in movies. Therefore, I think the script is good, although its far from being brilliant.

The major flaw of the script is that those, who don't know anything about the movie and start watching it, will thing, in the first minutes, which is seeing a period drama. These audiences will feel very confused at the sudden revelation of fantastic elements, something that they probably would not be waiting because the film was not immediately clear about that. I felt it the first time I saw, and I just really enjoyed it in the second time I saw it.

The main roles are embodied by Colin Farrell (as the good guy, Peter Lake), Jessica Brown Findlay (in the role of the young, rich and sick Beverly Penn) and Russell Crowe (as the evil Perly Soames). Will Smith also makes a small but important role, as the Judge, in a clear reference to the Devil. About the actors work, I think it was regular. The biggest applause goes to Crowe, who did a convincing job as a villain. Jessica Findlay never seemed me passionate enough, her character is almost as cold as the ice of winter scenery. She looked like a rich girl who want to escape her gilded cage and enjoy an adventure. Farrell, in turn, despite seemed more passionate, failed in interpretation. It seemed too kind to be a thief in search of redemption through love, and his acting was theatrical and inauthentic.

Anyway, the film is quite reasonable. Far from brilliance, it entertains the audience and bring us a beautiful love story in a fantasy film that, in a counter to gender itself, dispenses with most of the special effects to privilege the story. Not everything is good in this movie, but it's not necessarily a bad film.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

GreatMartin

Feb 14, 2014

Do you believe a prince kissing a princess will bring her back to life? Do you believe in white horses growing wings and flying? Do you believe in people turning into stars after dying? Do you believe in Lucifer, Hell and Heaven? How about the super-natural? Do you believe in love?

ItDo you believe a prince kissing a princess will bring her back to life? Do you believe in white horses growing wings and flying? Do you believe in people turning into stars after dying? Do you believe in Lucifer, Hell and Heaven? How about the super-natural? Do you believe in love?

It being Valentine's Day weekend 3 romantic movies and "RoboCop" opened up. Being a romantic I picked "Winter's Tale" and I am still not sure what I saw! Winter's Tale opens on a confusing note spending time in 2014 and 1914 but quickly turns into an early 20th century love story between an orphan, Peter Lake (played by Colin Farrell, and an heiress Beverly Penn (played by Jessica Brown Findlay) who has consumption. Pearly Soames (Russell Crowe), who brought up Peter, taught him how to be a master thief with a natural penchant for fixing anything mechanical, including opening safes and they have a falling out. Along with being an Irish mob leader, it is the early 1900s in New York City, Pearly is also one of Lucifer's (Will Smith!)workers and he is out to end Peter's life.

Without giving away any spoilers we are suddenly in 2014 with Peter not having aged a day since we last saw him but with amnesia. He meets Virginia Gamely (Jennifer Connelly) a newspaper reporter and her young daughter Abby (Ripley Sobo) who is dying of cancer. Pearly, also ageless, is also in New York to get Peter.

The biggest surprise in the movie is the appearance of Eva Marie Saint as Willa, Beverly's younger sister, at her real age of 90. It has been 60 years since she won her Oscar for On The Waterfront and, yes, she has aged, but watching a movie like this you can see the young Edie Doyle of that movie. William hurt as Issac Penn the father of Beverly and Willa does what he can with what little he is given to work with. Almost unrecognizable is Matt Bomer in a cameo.

Colin Farrell, with his caterpillar eyebrows and puppy eyes, plays the lover role well as does Jessica Brown Findlay as the ethereal Beverly. Russell Crowe, a lot thinner than he has been in the past few years, plays Pearly as the gangster of the century sometimes going a little overboard with the accent.

New York, especially Central Park in both centuries, is shown as the vibrant city it is known as the world over.

Director and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman doesn't quite capture the novel, by Mark Helprin, that the picture is based on but there are quite a few breath taking shots throughout the movie, including the flying horse.

The love story is touching but the rest of the movie brought laughs at the wrong places and snorts at some of the explanations. And what was the cause of the scar on Pearly Soames?

"Winter's Tale" is good when it concentrates in the first hour on the love story and with Eva Marie Saint's appearance almost saving the last hour of supernatural happenings.… Expand

3 of 9 users found this helpful36

diogomendes

Dec 17, 2014

Boasting an appealing cast and some good scenes, though that's not enough to save "Winter's Tale" from it's preposterous script (blame director/writer/producer Akiva Goldsman for that) and uninteresting characters.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

edsmithusa

Feb 15, 2014

This is a very bad movie. The plot made no sense. The acting was terrible. The special effect (a magic flying horse) was crude and ineffective. There was a misplaced Will Smith cameo as Lucifer that did not fit. There is simply no redeeming quality to this very bad movie. Anyone sayingThis is a very bad movie. The plot made no sense. The acting was terrible. The special effect (a magic flying horse) was crude and ineffective. There was a misplaced Will Smith cameo as Lucifer that did not fit. There is simply no redeeming quality to this very bad movie. Anyone saying otherwise is being paid.… Expand

2 of 6 users found this helpful24

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