Neverwas

PG-13

2005

1 hr. 42 min.

Drama

List

14%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

65%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Dr. Zach Riley (Aaron Eckhart) begins practicing at the Millwood Psychiatric Clinic -- a mental health retreat where his deceased father, renowned children's book author T.L. Pierson (Nick Nolte), was once interned. Riley finds an unlikely friend in Gabriel Finch (Ian McKellen), a disarming patient who forces him to examine himself. When Finch suggests that the fantastic land in Pierson's classic book "Neverwas" is real, Riley begins a spellbinding investigation into his father's work.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Mar 05

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Apple TV

Rent Neverwas on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

Kasey T

I adore this movie. Wonderful cast, Brittany Murphy (rip 😔) and Sir Ian McKellen (he is spectacular in any film he is in) are perfect for their character rolls. As we're Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange (love her!), William Hurt, Vera Farmiga, Allen Cumming, and Cynthia Stevenson. The story is bittersweet and enchanting. Even if it is considered an obscure film, it is in one of my top favorite movies.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/27/23

Full Review

nate m

I never saw Ian McKellen in a movie. Wow - what an amazing actor. I'm glad I watched the movie, but have no desire to watch it again. '

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

No one seems to love this movie. Guess they lost their childhood. I love to be sweapt away in mysterie, the feeling that everywhere you go, is an adventure, like when i was a child. Going back to a time when all things where exiting and mysterious. This movie provides that. Open your mind like a child, and you will find a great treasure in this movie, and maybey, you will see adventure in your real ,ordinairy dull life ,where you previously saw none. Give it a go, and be pleasently surprised. I watch it once every year , and i love it!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is one of my favorite films I have ever seen and one I recommend to anyone. On the surface this film is about fantasy, and the thrill of a more exciting version of life, but deep down is the anguish of reality and how we, as individuals deal with our own disappointments. The acting was great and the director "directs" you through the story exactly how you are intended. Please ignore the poor rating from the "critics" and see this film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is one of my surprise favorites. I didn't know what to expect when I picked it up in a video store one day. I saw the cast and couldn't believed I had never heard of it. Reading the back, I thought it was something completely different, maybe like a Narnia or something. That is not at all what this is like. It is slow paced, but the actors keep it engaging. There is a scene that starts in color and then as the madness grows it slowly fades to b/w. Which was subtle but I loved that. A sad movie in some places, yet has a great message about judging someone, when you really don't know what the whole story is. I am not big on dramas, but I love this.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It is a rare thing when a movie can have you suspend disbelief, and Neverwas did this beautifully. I wanted so much for their to be magic in this world, and there was. Magical performances, and a magically colorful story full of delusion, hope, adventure and redemption. Take some time, live through Zachary and let your inner child's imagination wonder at the possibility of the magical land of Neverwas.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Joshua Michael Stern

Director

Aaron Eckhart

Zach Riley

Ian McKellen

Gabriel Finch

Brittany Murphy

Maggie Blake

William Hurt

Dr. Peter Reed

Nick Nolte

T.L. Pierson

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

62%

59%

Proof

52%

67%

An Unfinished Life

36%

87%

Illusion

44%

35%

Bee Season

91%

83%

King of the Hill

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Dennis Harvey

Variety

This is the kind of movie where a madwoman's outburst leads her to throw a mug that just happens to be filled with gold sparkles -- which can then be photographed cascading down on all the adorable loonies, in slow-motion.

Sep 20, 2005

Full Review

Robert Roten

Laramie Movie Scope

At a time when most films lack subtlety, it is rare to find one as delicate, wistful and tender as 'Neverwas.'

Rated: B

Jun 21, 2008

Full Review

Brian Webster

Apollo Guide

Writer/ director Joshua Michael Stern has crafted something more than a mess and something less than a film that hits home. Neverwas never does quite win us over.

Rated: 66/100

Jul 4, 2007

Full Review

Jules Brenner

Cinema Signals

Never has so much talent come to so little because of a screenplay that's so adrift and aimless. Eckhart plays a psychologist with enough personal psychoses to keep himself preoccupied for a lifetime.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 4, 2007

Full Review

John J. Puccio

Movie Metropolis

Seems rather a waste to use name actors and then not have them actually do anything.

Rated: 4/10

Jul 3, 2007

Full Review

Jason Gorber

Film Scouts

Good actors are wasted, sets dominate storytelling, and it's all based on the most banal and artificial of children's tales. Avoid.

Rated: D

Jun 21, 2007

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Dr. Zach Riley (Aaron Eckhart) begins practicing at the Millwood Psychiatric Clinic -- a mental health retreat where his deceased father, renowned children's book author T.L. Pierson (Nick Nolte), was once interned. Riley finds an unlikely friend in Gabriel Finch (Ian McKellen), a disarming patient who forces him to examine himself. When Finch suggests that the fantastic land in Pierson's classic book "Neverwas" is real, Riley begins a spellbinding investigation into his father's work.

Director: Joshua Michael Stern
Executive Producer: Nathan Kahane, Amanda Mackey, Marina Grasic
Screenwriter: Joshua Michael Stern
Production Co: Kingsgate Films
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Issues)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016

Most Popular at Home Now