Directed By: Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde and Jeremy Irons
What It’s About: A starving author plagiarises the life story of another man and copes with the shame of his crime.
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Review 1/2
Shelby’s Review
By Shelby Clemons, Staff Writer
For their directorial debut, Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal make an intelligent, entertaining movie with The Words.
The film centers on struggling writer Rory Jansen (Bradley Cooper) who, on his honeymoon in Paris, discovers an old briefcase that would change his life. It is only after countless, crushing rejections of the book he has been writing for three years that he discovers an old manuscript in aforementioned briefcase. He plagiarizes the memoir and propels himself to literary greatness. However, it is at the peak of his fame when a stranger referred to as the “Old Man” (Jeremy Irons), the author of the lost manuscript, confronts Jansen on the publication of his work. He demands no monetary compensation or recognition, but Jansen’s guilt impels him to come clean to his publisher (Zeljko Ivanek) and wife (Zoe Saldana), but neither pushes him to confess.
The film has a diverse cast, including Zoe Saldana and Olivia Wilde, but their acting is average at best and many of the characters lack depth.
Flashbacks to a love story in post-World-War-II Paris, the subject of Jansen’s story and the reality of the Old Man’s past provide the highlights of the film. The inclusion of another layer of narration by author Clayton Hammond (Dennis Quaid), who wrote the book The Words, Jansen’s story, creates an intrigue that distracts from the otherwise bland plot.The arbitrary romance between Columbia graduate student Daniella (Wilde) and Hammond turns out to be something more than one would be led to believe, leading to the biggest surprise of the movie.
Though the ending doesn’t completely tie all of the film together, it amounts to an unexpectedly entertaining finale and overall enjoyable film.
7.5/10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjmrDDD9o_k
Review 2/2
By Cole Nelson, Staff Writer
After years of writing, planning and submission failures, long-time friends, Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, tag team to successfully co-direct their extraordinary work that provides a relatable, thought-invoking view on the self-reflective question, “Where does one draw the line between right and wrong?” while incorporating wit, humor, empathy and sappy romance.
A possible allusion to the life and writing career of Earnest Hemingway, The Words follows famous author Clay Hammond (Dennis Quaid) as he reads his new masterpiece at a public book reading. The possibly autobiographical story that Hammond narrates tells the unfortunate journey of a struggling writer, Rory Jansen (Bradley Cooper), who resorts to plagiarism for fame and fortune. At the peak of his success, Mr. Jansen meets the Old Man (Jeremy Irons), which introduces yet another arch into the complex story.
Despite being the duo’s directorial debut, The Words is an unexpected and powerful first film.
Bradley Cooper gives one of his most memorable performances in this old-timey cinematic work. The strong acting and supporting cast is diminished by a somewhat unnatural and even weak script. The central plot is actually a story within a story within another story causing confusion at times. However, in terms of cinematography and camera work, The Words is masterfully executed.
Overall, The Words is surprisingly original and well-crafted, foreshadowing a successful career for the up and coming director-duo.
7.5/10
Courtesy of www.beyondhollywood.com