Neverwas
Every fairy tale needs its hero.
Weaving together fantasy and reality, past and present, Neverwas is the enchantment-filled, life-affirming tale about a young man (Aaron Eckhart, Thank You For Smoking) who finds out his childhood fantasyland may really exist. Searching for insight into his father's (Nick Nolte, The Prince of Tides) life and the magical place he wrote about in the beloved children's book, Neverwas, psychiatrist Zach Riley (Eckhart) takes a job at the institution where his father lived on and off. Once there, Zach meets Gabriel (Sir Ian McKellen, Lord Of The Rings Trilogy), a patient whose alternate reality is startlingly close to the world his father created. Featuring a critically acclaimed all-star cast that also includes William Hurt (The Village), Jessica Lange (Big Fish) and Brittany Murphy (Sin City, 8 Mile), Neverwas is a magical and moving journey of discovery you won't soon forget. and moving journey you won't soon forget.
Member Reviews
Well done - Isis59
The storyline is a difficult one. The story of a man who grew up with a father that committed suicide due to mental health issues. He becomes a psychiatrist and goes back to the hospital his father spent time at. Ian McKlellan is brilliant as the mental health patient that seems to know the psychiatrists real story although they just met. It weaves the story around a storybook that his father wrote long ago. Adult viewing only for sure, due to subject matter.Gets off on the wrong foot. - cathyottawa
I think mistiblu meant to compare this to Hook, rather than Peter Pan, but I think The Fisher King is a more apt comparison still, with Ian McKellan in the Robin Williams role of the guy who may or may not be crazy.
Had the movie focused on McKellan's character, they might have had something here, but instead, Aaron Eckhart is in the spotlight as the therapist trying to help McKellan, and in turn, help himself.
Eckhart is terrible in this film. Maybe smarmy prick is the only role he can play convincingly. Maybe his mind was somewhere else. I don't know, but he's just awful, and his character, who is supposedly this highly trained shrink, is the worst psychiatrist ever.
The supporting characters of mother (Jessica Lange) and love interest (Brittany Murphy) are used to ill effect. I also thought it was annoying more than clever that this film started out making you think you were going to get a movie like Hook, and then went another direction.
The final act of this film is heartbreaking, and beautifully portrayed by the always wonderful Ian McKellan. Pity what lead up to it was so unforgivably bad.Don't pass this one by - mistiblu
This is a movie I had never heard of , but looked interesting due to the number of recognizable cast members. The all-star cast does it justice with a great performance by Sir Ian McKellan. The plot is reminiscent of Peter Pan - the main character had a loss of childhood innocence which is refound as an adult when he comes to believe the world of a psychiatric patient and his father's children's story is truely real.
An adult fairytale that is truely a lost gem.
Member Reviews
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Well done - Isis59
The storyline is a difficult one. The story of a man who grew up with a father that committed suicide due to mental health issues. He becomes a psychiatrist and goes back to the hospital his father spent time at. Ian McKlellan is brilliant as the mental ...Gets off on the wrong foot. - cathyottawa
I think mistiblu meant to compare this to Hook, rather than Peter Pan, but I think The Fisher King is a more apt comparison still, with Ian McKellan in the Robin Williams role of the guy who may or may not be crazy.
Had the movie focused on McKellan's ...Don't pass this one by - mistiblu
This is a movie I had never heard of , but looked interesting due to the number of recognizable cast members. The all-star cast does it justice with a great performance by Sir Ian McKellan. The plot is reminiscent of Peter Pan - the main character had a ...