The general consensus seems to be that pretty much nobody knows what to make of Winter's Tale, which takes its place at the top of our list for the worst movie of 2014 so far - it really doesn't get more awful than this. Aside from being downright nonsensical in almost every way, it features several performances by credible actors like Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly and Will Smith that are just horrible. As an adaptation of its much better source material, too, it fails to capture the amusing, warm and thoughtful tone that made the original 1983 book great. The story here is bizarre, but basically involves a thief played by Colin Farrell, who finds himself pursued by a gangster played by Russell Crowe in 1916, who doesn't seem to realise he's not in Les Miserables anymore but can't break free of Inspector Javert. There is time travel and a flying horse. Preposterous as it sounds, then, it worked far better on paper, and might have here too had director Akiva Goldsmith not fumbled so frequently with the narrative. This is the sort of movie that literally has you asking at the end: "What the f*ck was that about?" Worst of all, Winter's Tale is frequently boring and so overtly sentimental that it makes you want to gag. When Will Smith turns up as Satan, you'll be about ready to backflip in your seat. Why is Will Smith even in this movie? What possible reason could he have had for turning up here for a brief period of time, as opposed to starring in something else? What dirt did Akira Goldsmith threaten him with? Winter's Tale very nearly could have been destined to become a classic "it's so bad, it's good" movie; unfortunately, it's far too tedious for even that accolade. Like this list? Think we got it wrong? Let us know in the comments section below.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
