TxMike As the story unfolds we wondered if it was a modern day fairy tale. Found it on Netflix streaming movies. Quite a good drama and Brittany Murphy, who met with her untimely death just a few years later, really shines.In the opening scene we see a flashback of a boy hearing sirens and as he runs down a wooded trail stops when he encounters a man's body, hanging from a tree. We don't see the whole body but as the movie unfolds we conclude it was the boy's father, an author of a famous children's book. Maybe 25 years later this boy is the adult, Aaron Eckhart as Zach Riley, a psychiatrist. He has a stellar background and a good practice but applies for a job at an out-of-the-way sanitarium. He keeps his motives hidden, but he never came to grips with his father's death and hopes to find some answers there, as his father was a patient there before he wrote his book.Other key cast members are Nick Nolte as the deceased father, T.L. Pierson. Ian McKellen (who steals the show most of the time) as inmate Gabriel Finch. Brittany Murphy as Maggie Paige, a younger childhood friend of Zach's and who says she is there to do research for her Botany thesis. Jessica Lange as Zack's mom, Katherine Pierson. And always understated and good William Hurt as Dr. Peter Reed, director of the sanitarium.The title comes from the book the father wrote, a book about a modern kingdom, "Neverwas", right over the mountains that can be seen from the sanitarium. The hero in that children's book is Zachary who goes to free the king who is held in the dungeon. In an old interview Zach is viewing, his dad at one point says to the reporter, "Sometimes the story finds the story teller, not the other way around." And that is what this movie is all about.SPOILERS: Upon digging Zach finds out that his dad in the early 1960s was in the sanitarium along with old Gabriel Finch who is still there. Gabriel claims he is the King of Neverwas, trapped in the dungeon (the sanitarium) and he knows Zach has come back to free him. Gabriel's story is pretty much identical to dad's book 'Neverwas' which was written in the late 1960s and was basically telling the old man's story. It turns out Maggie is not a Botanist but a reporter there to do a story, but in the end she lets it rest, she and Zach begin a romance. Gabriel does manage to escape to his "kingdom" which is a shelter he built on public lands, he faces eviction, but a court order just in time saves him. For now...

Don Lee It took 7 years after it's original release for me to find this gem on a popular online movie rental site, and it instantly became one of the top-ten best movies I have seen in my 43 years.The characters are not only believable and relatable, they make you cheer for them, truly hoping that good things happen to them after all they've been through. I was deeply moved by Sir Ian McKellen's performance, and can relate on certain levels with the world his character lived in and the reasons why. Aaron Eckhart's performance as a man seeking answers to the mysteries of his troubled youth reaches out to anyone who feels as if they've lost touch with their inner child. And Brittany Murphy, who sadly only appeared in 7 more feature roles after this film, with her consistent smile brought some much-needed relief to an otherwise hard-to-deal-with storyline.Beyond the scope of the acting, the production was above par. Director Joshua Michael Stern gives the viewers plenty of eye-candy, with beautiful cinematography, creative camera angles, and a heart-moving score to keep ones heart in a trance whilst watching. The mystery surrounding the plot kept me further entranced as I was working out in my own mind what was real and what was fantasy (a pleasant journey similar to that of the Kevin Costner movie "Dragonfly").This film goes to show that in life sometimes our battles are very difficult to face but there is always a place that makes us feel at ease and able to press on, whether physical or otherwise. Anyone who has experienced any type of mental illness in their family or circle of friends knows that this subject is a serious one, and Neverwas deals with it carefully, and with the utmost of sincerity.

samkan Had the plot to NEVERWAS not been so contrived and stuffed with melodramatic subplots and themes, this film might have worked. Ever-so-slowly discovering that an author of a famous children's fantasy stole the creation from a mental patient and allowing the late thief's son to unwittingly become the detective is story enough. That there was an actual place underlying the mental patient's fantasy, that events gives son some closure and subtle messages like "we all create our own kingdoms", etc., can be interesting and accepted with cleverness and deft touch.Instead NEVERWAS pounds themes, circumstances and profundity into our brains until we become weary. Why not have made son a wash-out who came to work at the institution out of desperation? Instead of making the heroine a clandestine reporter, why not just a local lass whose obsession with the famous kid tale parallel's the mental patient; i.e., how we all live in fantasy worlds, though to different degrees. Why not just toss mom's character along with the characterization given to the other mental patients or to the institute's chief?The all star cast is simply inexplicable and, with the exception of McKellum, unnecessary. In the end, NEVERWAS is enjoyable, though its dinner at a four-star restaurant when all you needed was a slice of pizza.

crinamoore In these times of violent, sex-ridden entertainment this movie was refreshing. The story is intensely acted, the soundtrack fit the scenes emotionally, the colors are intense and vibrant. Watch this and please enjoy. The story is easy to follow, even with the flashbacks. The emotions are well portrayed by each actor. The soundtrack fit the scenes and brought me on an emotional "ride". The scenes with the filters of light and color are quite appropriate. The storyline is unpredictable without the usual Hollywood formula that I, personally, have grown sick of. This movie makes one - anyone - feel special, despite the imperfections and ghosts that lurk beneath our emotional shields.