Words and Pictures

This film is recommended.

There have been many philosophical arguments about the power of words and images. If one picture is worth a thousand words, and actions speak louder than words, who are we to disagree? In the battle of the sexes, the latest independent film, Words and Pictures, takes on this dispute in telling its love story about an English professor and an artist, both of whom have conflicting viewpoints on the subject and their budding courtship.

Jack (Clive Owen) is an alcoholic academic who values the sacred text above all else. As fate would have it, he meets Dina (Juliette Binoche), an art teacher and painter whose rheumatoid arthritis is beginning to cripple her creative output. Both teach at an exclusive prep school. He teaches English, she teaches art, and it is their volatile relationship that is at the heart of this romantic film. One has lost that creative spark to alcohol, the other literally coming to grips with her own physical limitations. Each questions their own value and importance in a rivalry set between the schools based on the theoretical debate of words vs. pictures.

Of course, they will fall in love. It's inevitable, isn't it? Predictable. Formulaic. Conventional. Clichéd. Those are some words that come to mind. Entertaining. Diverting. Enjoyable. Thought provoking. Those are some more words that succinctly describe Words and Pictures.  Fred Schepsi solidly directs the film and has wisely cast the central roles with actors who have enough presence and talent to make these characters more credible on the screen than from the written page. The preachy screenplay by Gerald Di Pego takes this interesting premise and expounds their differences ad nauseum. When the script stays true to the intellectual discourse, the film resonates. Unfortunately, it also adds some needless sub plots that go nowhere and just fill time. Some actors like Bruce Davidson and Amy Brenneman aren't given much to do and are wasted in minor roles.

But the film eventually works solely due to the chemistry of Binoche and Owens. Owen's Jack has a disheveled charm and sexiness that makes him worthy of Dina's attention. His bouts with alcohol have a chilling realism and, a speech delivered to the end of the film to his estranged son is quite moving. Binoche has a wry and expressive persona that makes her character a noble and caring rival. Her talents not only as an actress but also as an abstract painter are showcased successfully throughout the film. These actors supply the sweetness and passion that is somehow lacking in the film's creaky plot and soap opera dynamics.

At times, Words and Pictures tends to hyperventilate on its own words and storytelling. But one can readily accept this factor as the film tackles bigger issues and offers intellectual nourishment that mostly other films avoid. The film effectively emphasizes the importance of art and literature to us mere mortals. However it ultimately raises another philosophical question: Does music eclipse both as a more direct means of expression? Talk amongst yourselves, but go first see Words and Pictures as a hearty appetizer. GRADE: B

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I saw it for Juliette Binoche. And, indeed, she remains, scene by scene, the good motif for see ( and love ) this film.

I saw it as teacher, recognizing situations, gestures, mistakes.

I hated the too pink end and I perceived the romance between Dina and Jack as too, too forced, to the border of fake.

I loved, very much, the paintings of Juliette Binoche. And the young actors, giving fair portraits of students.

I saw the duel between words and pictures as decent crafted but not real convincing more than as a didactic method for seduce students and create some romance.

In short, a beautiful film in its essence.

At a posh New England secondary school, with an ocean setting, English teacher Jack (Clive Owen) is in the midst of a middle age crisis. Only, he doesn't know it. Not yet. Others have observed that he drinks too much and is often a few minutes late to class, with poor lesson planning. To his credit, Jack is extremely dedicated and bright, making the most of his classes and connecting well with students. But, he is headed for trouble. That is, until a new art teacher, Dina (Juliette Binoche) arrives at the academy, cane in hand, for she suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. Needless to say, Jack rubs her the wrong way almost instantly, although it is quite clear that Dina can give tit for tat. After a discussion in her art honors class, students tell Jack that Dina thinks words are far less important and meaningful than pictures. Ho ho, Jack pounces on this pronto. Now, he tells his pupils, this is war and lays out a strong defense of the power of words by reading many meaningful passages of literature. An ultimate challenge of the two dueling forms of communication may lie ahead. In the meantime, Jack is told he is going to be "reviewed" by the board of directors and may be let go. He also is having difficulties with his college age son. Happily, Dina may be showing some romantic interest in Jack. What lies ahead in the battle of words and pictures? This wonderful and poignant movie is most welcome in this age of flicks aimed at young adult males. It offers a romance between middle aged characters and has an alluring, finely written script. Owen and Binoche are pitch perfect in their roles while the supporting cast of Bruce Davison, Amy Brenneman, and well-selected teenage actors are charming, too. The coastal setting is absolutely lovely while costumes, photography, and a worthy direction by Fred Schepisi bring terrific results. Please go support this movie, true-blue film fans. Unless you do, Hollywood won't offer this kind of movie very often.

There's great magic in Words and Pictures. And that magic comes from the sheer joy of watching a real human story so eloquently played out before our eyes. In a time when we are bombarded by CGI laden, tent pole films crafted by marketing firms rather than great storytellers, it is refreshing to find a summer film that focuses on character and the human condition. I loved this film and the emotional journey it takes us on. Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche are both at the top of their game in this film, giving us layered performances that are humorous, touching and yes… I'll use the word again… human. The greatest strength of this film is it's screenplay with it's honest look at relationships. The relationship between words and pictures becomes the vehicle by which we dive into all the emotional relationships. These are flawed and delicate characters making their way through the minefield of life. Fathers and sons, lovers, coworkers, mentors and mentees. All of the relationships play out so beautifully and honestly on screen. From our wonderful leads to even the smallest of supporting characters, not an emotive moment is wasted. Thank God there are films where great writing is still revered and producers, directors and actors who take a chance with those words and bring them to the screen in glorious moving pictures. Don't miss this one!

It's a rare film that manages to be tedious and fascinating at the same time, but that's precisely what happens with the clumsily-named and executed Words And Pictures. The film's central conceit is right there in its title: a battle for supremacy unfolds between an English teacher (words) and his new colleague, who schools students in the fine arts (pictures). It shouldn't work at all, especially when the relationship moves predictably into romantic territory. But it's tough to completely dismiss the film when its awkward screenplay also features two intriguing central characters, played with subtle, almost miraculous depth by Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche.

English teacher Jack Marcus (Owen) is on the brink of academic implosion: his job is on the line, he's barely making it to his classes on time, and he's drinking a little too much for anyone's comfort. But, just as things are looking really bleak, his downward trajectory is briefly interrupted by the arrival of Dina Delsanto (Binoche), a revered artist who's losing her ability to make art as her body is increasingly ravaged by the aches and pains of rheumatoid arthritis. She values imagery and art; he treasures words and literature - their clash fires up their students' imaginations, even as they bicker and spar their way into an evident mutual attraction.

There's no denying that the film rests on an awkward foundation: the script keeps returning to the ridiculous dichotomy it establishes between words and pictures, pitting Marcus against Delsanto in a competition that makes very little sense. It's all tied up with a subplot involving shy arts student Emily (Valerie Tian), whose ability to come out of her shell to be the artist she can be is all wrapped up with issues of sexual harassment and public humiliation. Frankly, it's just not very good.

What is very good about the film is its two central characters, and the spiky, difficult and joyfully equal relationship that springs up between them. There's so much depth, sadness and maturity layered into Marcus and Delsanto that it's absolutely fascinating just to watch them in action, together and apart. Both characters have rough edges that aren't sanded away, and the odd fireworks between them work precisely because both their lives have stalled: Marcus is a charming mess who lost himself somewhere along the way; Delsanto is a brilliant artist who can no longer express herself the way she wants to. Somehow, they wind up inspiring each other to do better and be better - and, instead of feeling horribly mawkish, it works.

That's due in no small part to the excellent work done by the two lead actors. Owen sinks thoroughly into the part of Marcus, dialling up the charm and the horror of his character in equal measure. The film doesn't soften or romanticise Marcus and his problems, which gives Owen plenty of great character stuff to do. Binoche, too, has ample room to uncover the sad, yearning soul of a whip-smart, independent woman whose illness has stolen not just her art but also a little of her dignity.

Ultimately, the fantastic and fascinating interplay between the two actors and characters are pretty much worth the price of admission. They're surrounded by an odd, awkward beast of a movie, built on a very shaky foundation. But their brave, deep performances and bittersweet chemistry come very close to making Words And Pictures worth a lot more than it really is.