Lay aside the critical reviews that have filleted this movie, and perhaps even your friends and family that didn't get it.If you are a writer, you will get it.
The meat of this movie is as much about the struggles living up to expectations as it is about plagiarism. The pressures to have a "real job" and the approval you seek from those around you and what price you are willing to pay to hang on to that approval. When you feel it is your calling to be a writer, you constantly are filled with self doubt. Will I ever be good enough? Will my writing ever be good enough?
Because these are the driving forces of the film, of course it isn't some after-school special aimed at bringing an end to plagiarism. It is structured around the choices we make in building our lives. What are we willing to sacrifice for success?
While the nested stories could have gone very wrong, the film is well-executed and not hard to follow. And while Dennis Quaid was a bit of an odd casting choice for the particular role he plays, and the narration can be a little heavy-handed at times, it does not detract from the story threads.
All-in-all a splendid movie that is most certainly worth owning.
Hammond (Dennis Quaid) writes a story about an ambitious, but not stellar, young writer Rory (Bradley Cooper) who has ripped-off an unpublished manuscript written by an old man (Jeremy Irons) over 60 years earlier. If you don't understand `plagiarism', stop here and don't bother viewing. It's the entire plot in one word. The story progresses in the same fashion as a bestseller novel, layers woven together, scenes jumping from 2012 to 1940 Paris, and back, from one author (reality) to the next (fictional.) Slow going, NO! Just bookish. After all, the film is about writers--and their significant others. In the end the layers converge, but leave the viewer agape.
Rory Jansen's wife, Dora, (Zoe Saldana) is one hot beauty and encouragement to a struggling author. Until... Romantic scenes remain at family viewing level. Also you will love awesome period scenes when the younger life of the old man is told primarily in narration. Actors mostly act, not speak, doing pantomime well. In a novel the words would have been italicized and the visuals would be only thoughts. The Words makes a book come to life before your eyes, like the manuscript did for the author characters in the film.
Applauds for the 3 leads, Quaid, Irons, & Cooper; but also Zoe. Let's not forget the Director/Writers Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal.
THE WORDS should be required viewing for every writer or reader. For every English, creative writing, journalist, or any writing major student.
`In The Words, Bradley Cooper stars as Rory Jansen, a struggling writer that stumbles upon a briefcase which contains a story that holds the key to launching his career. Shortly after publishing the story, success launches his career. However, an old man (Jeremy Irons) confronts Jansen about publishing this 'thought to be' lost story and from there a plot line within a plot line within a plot line unfolds all of which revolves around the overlying theme: fame/success vs. choice/consequence. Yes, there's also some romance. Zoe Saldana, Olivia Wilde, and Dennis Quaid co-star.
It's easy to say the plot becomes predictable about half way through the film (and it does), but films don't always have to be about the sudden 'twist' ending that nobody saw coming. Sometimes it's nice to watch a film and think about the meaning behind the story in this case it's about the choices we make that affect our lives and the lives of the people around us. It's especially interesting to see what lengths some people will go to in order to touch success.
In any event, that are several major/minor problems with this film (depending how picky your are about your entertainment) that keep it from being a great film namely the sub-par/predictable plot, mixed with the lack of chemistry between characters (noticeably Wilde and Quaid). However, these issues don't take away from the film experience or emotional impact of the film. Bradley Cooper does a remarkable job and is slowly becoming the next Brad Pitt, while Jeremy Irons shows that even though he's aging, he still has top-notch acting ability.
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Excellent acting. Fascinating plot lines. Great flash backs to WWII era. Lovely cinematography. But ending is SO stupid/non-conclusive. My husband & I are Huge movie freaks. We watch at least 3 movies/week. He has acted in many movies, TV shows, plays. Including Zero Mostel's "Fiddler on the Roof." I've worked backstage in plays & we "know from theater." So this is real: the ending is LAZY. If the writers couldn't come up with an ending, then DO NOT make the film. B***S****Want The Words (2012) Discount?
Really nice flick but the end just falls off a cliff. poor resolution. They certainly didn't run out of story.Save 63% Off
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