Neverwas

Neverwas

Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Sir Ian McKellen, William Hurt, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, and Brittany Murphy

Produced by: Joseph Drake, Marina Graces, and Nathan Kahane

Directed by: Joshua Michael Stern

Miramax Films

Rated PG-13

Can fairy tales be real? This is the basic premise for the movie Neverwas. To be honest, I had never heard of this movie until I sat down to watch the DVD. I find this odd because with its all star cast which happens to include a few Oscar winners; you would think this film would have been heavily promoted. All I can say now is, I am happy to have found it, and even happier to have seen it.

Neverwas is a tale of man's journey to discover who his father really was. When Dr. Zach Riley (Eckhart) an up and coming psychiatrist decides to take a staff position at the same institution his father spent time in, he comes face to face with his past. After being haunted for years by his father's suicide, Dr. Riley finally discovers the truth.

His father, played brilliantly by Nick Nolte was a famous children's author whose novel Neverwas created a huge following similar to the Harry Potter novels. He was a severely mentally ill man who was in and out of an institution repeatedly during Dr. Riley childhood before taking his own life. Dr. Riley who blamed himself never really recovered from his father's death.

While working at the institution, Dr. Riley meets Gabriel (McKellen) whose delusions are incredibly close to the story of Neverwas. After doing some research Dr. Riley discovers Gabriel and his father were friends and the novel his father wrote came from the tortured mind of Gabriel. After spending time counseling Gabriel, Dr. Riley begins to discover the man's delusions may be based more in reality than fantasy. While doing everything he can to help Gabriel, Dr. Riley is able to learn the truth about his father, the land of Neverwas, and also come to grips with his own past.