The Words

While subdued and a little slow-moving, THE WORDS is a good--and not too heavy-handed--modern morality tale of how one serious act of dishonesty irreversibly affects a writer's entire life and career. The fact that his act would be difficult to ever prove or prosecute only makes things worse in many ways for Rory Jansen. The various additional elements of suspense and romance help to create a unique combination.

Interesting plot-structure: No huge twists or surprises, but everything fits together with slow, subtle tension. The acting ranges from tepid to quite good. Various details are also important; it might be a good idea, for example, to freeze-frame and read the rejection letters that Rory Jansen receives toward the beginning. A lot of people apparently don't like the way THE WORDS ends, but I sure do. Along with "the old man"'s embedded tale, the conversations between best-selling author Clay Hammond and fan/aspiring author Daniella are easily the most engaging aspects of this film.

Anyone with interests in fiction writing, the publishing industry, and/or related subjects will probably find THE WORDS a compelling enough film; those without such interests, however, may find it pretty dull. Even for the latter folks, I would also recommend SHATTERED GLASS (2004), starring Hayden Christensen, which has a similar conflict, a faster pace, and generally better acting.

This movie's a clever and entertaining yarn that gets to bear close scrutiny. There's a compelling performance by Jeremy Irons as a fictional writer and a good one(though not excellent) by Bradley Coooper. As in a lot of Hollywood movies set in the world of letters, the connection to the real world of authors and publishers feels weak however, as regards the subject of plagiarism, the movie is portentously effective in handling themes like theft, identity, fiction and reality. One of the many questions it conjures is whether the screenplay is a deliberate attempt to illustrate Clay's mediocrity. The storytelling itself is more interesting than the plot and the finale leaves a little to be desired but on the whole it works.

The Words draws you in with its beautiful cinematography and engaged dialog. I was especially impressed with the layers of the presentation. Most films these days will spoon feed you a flat story and leave no room for personal interpretation. The Words layers a complex open-ended plot that demands viewer involvement. I was surprised with the simple surface story presented as each deeper layer was uncovered. Sometimes it came as a subtle hint when other times it hits you straight in the face. The film has the flavor of Memento or Inception; which is refreshing these days. Bradley Cooper surpassed my expectations. I never once saw his type-cast Hangover/Limitless ticks or mannerisms. He was completely in touch with the character and never fell back on default techniques.

Absent of cheesy one liners, cgi explosions and presumably never ending car chases it was not surprising to see the lack of respect this movie has received. It is telling of our culture to pass by a story, full of such raw, human, emotion, with dis-contempt and frailty.

'The Words' is a movie about life, mistakes and the pain we can all feel inside, and it is this ability to relate that makes it so powerful. It gives me hope, along with a select other few, that cinematic story telling has not simply been reduced to the next ex-cia to shoot up the town, or romantic comedy with the same stale happily ever after ending.

It is real, and comes with the all of the uncertainty and heartbreak of life.

The Words is an engaging film, and almost feels more like a book on screen. And like a good book, it quickly reins you in and keeps entertaining until the end. The writer/director team of Brian Klugman & Lee Sternthal is miles away from their script for the forgettable Tron: Legacy. With The Words they take their time by using their catchy story within a story technique to develop their intriguing characters. The Words may not have the heft compared to other favorites for Best Original Screenplay come this Oscar season, but it is respectable feat for the writer/director duo. Bradley Cooper (The Hangover, Limitless) delivers a nice subtle performance as a struggling writer drowning in a sea of desperation. Cooper continues to hack out diverse performances that continue to show his range and win over more fans. He's proving that he is not just Hollywood's latest flavor of the week. The rest of the cast is strong, and headlined by Jeremy Irons (The Man in the Iron Mask, Being Julia) as a broken down old man surprised to see his long lost book on the best-seller list with some young punk's name attached. The Words was dumped into theaters on what is historically known as the worst weekend for movie attendance, and most likely won't garner much of an audience. The film will also have trouble living up to the competition come Oscar season, but it delivers an entertaining and appealing film on the first weekend of fall award season releases.