A New York Winter's Tale: It's Like a Movie Hangover.

Sadly disappointed with this. The trailer provided expectations of a story which definitely paled by comparison to the reality of the film. Based upon the novel Winter's Tale written by Mark Helprin, I was definitely underwhelmed following this cinematic production. 

It is difficult to capture the concept and setting of the film because it seems as if that was an insignificant detail for the filmmakers. There is a clear Edwardian-style era however, with the invocation of devils and spirits, or whatever they were, it is really difficult to grasp what the hell is actually going on. The mishmash of miracles, the devil and constant reference to destiny juxtapose their Edwardian setting uncomfortably and instead present an ulterior reality which in fact seems entirely implausible. 

Usually a fan of Colin Farrell, I was really disappointed by his performance in A New York Winter's Tale. Though to be perfectly honest, that may have had very little to do with his acting as I was much more preoccupied by the abysmal hairstyle which he assumed throughout. Distracted by this hideous styling choice I found it difficult to become fully invested in his characterisation and the narrative plot. 

Protagonist Colin Farrell plays Peter Lake, a handsome thief who was abandoned as a baby in New York by his parents in a hollowed out model sail boat, which is of course 100% plausible. He grows up in and out of foster homes and on the street, eventually becoming a thief (just as every parent wishes for their child). 

However, he does seem to come by exceptionally good luck when he breaks into the home of Beverly Penn, a beautiful young heiress from London now living, or more appropriately, dying in New York. She is afflicted with TB and sleeps outside in a tent construction in order to keep her fever at a manageable temperature. Downton's Jessica Brown Findlay plays the quintessentially British heiress Beverly, once again demonstrating the rich falling for the poor scenario, except this time she does not fall for the family driver, but someone attempting to burgle her family home. 

Other guest stars include Russell Crowe as the overweight, devouring devil-type antagonist Pearly Soames and Will Smith as the rather comical yet unnerving Lucifer. With Russell Crowe in particular, his Irish accent has been taken straight out of the "How to Speak like a Wee Little Leprechaun" book. It is an accent that is so badly executed that it rivals Anne Hathaway's truly horrific attempt at a Yorkshire accent in One Day.  Even with the addition of these famous actors, this production lacks any potential for resuscitation  Having not read the books, I cannot categorically state that the plot had cinematic potential, however, having watched the film, I can definitely suggest that the performance was so lifeless that I ended up wishing I could have the time wasted watching the performance repaid.

So overall, I do not recommend this movie...well unless you enjoy laughing at abysmally bad attempts at accents or a complete lack of coherent plot construction. Do not waste your time or money with this film. It would be more interesting to watch paint dry.