Goldsman has plenty of experience adapting novels for the big screen – his writing credentials include A Beautiful Mind, I, Robot and The Da Vinci Code, among others – but Winter’s Tale marks his directorial debut.

"I didn't anticipate quite how remarkably personal directing is. I've been calling all my director friends and saying, 'I'm sorry, I never understood' because it is very different," Goldsman told THR. "No matter what you do in the other jobs, you're a little bit rescuing, and here there's no one to rescue but yourself."

Russell Crowe, Winter's Tale
Goldsman is the kind of director to build a connection with his cast.

The film’s stars, however, have nothing but praise for the director, especially those who have worked on his other films. Will Smith (I, Robot) and Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind) both appear in Winter’s Tale. Smith has a cameo and Crowe has a larger role, but Goldsman said both were the result of "20 years of favors."

Winter's Tale Poster
A romance for the ages or just V-Day fodder? Critics are leaning towards the latter.

Despite the director and the actors’ obvious devotion to the project,  Winter’s Tale isn’t faring too well in reviews. With a 14% current score on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has been called “Clumsy and inert, a lumbering white elephant,” (New York Times) its characters “unconvincing” and the dialogue – “sanctimonious” (USA Today). So is it worth the ticket then? Maybe just skip the first week screenings.