“The Words” is a movie about writing. That may sound dull but this film certainly isn’t dull. Bradley Cooper heads an impressive cast. He plays Rory, who’s the lead character in a book, titled The Words, written by best-selling author Clay Hammond (played by Dennis Quaid). As the movie opens Hammond is reading excerpts of his book to a live audience. This is how we meet Rory – a young, struggling writer – and his new wife Dora (Zoe Saldana).
The couple lives in a small NYC apartment. Rory’s attempts at getting published have all failed. He and his family members are starting to doubt whether he has the talent to be a successful writer. Then one day everything changes and Rory suddenly finds himself the author of a hot, award-winning novel (how this happens I don’t want to give away). But there’s a price Rory must pay for becoming an instant literary sensation.
“The Words” has an interesting premise, and the structure – a story within a story within a 3rd story (involving yet another writer, played by Jeremy Irons) is well executed. Irons has the pivotal role in the film and he’s outstanding. Expect some Oscar buzz for this performance.
Cooper also does fine work, along with Saldana. I wish Quaid’s character could’ve been explored a little deeper. His
early scenes with Olivia Wilde (who plays an admirer) aren’t developed enough to make their scenes later in the film effective. However, the screenplay, written by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, is strong. The two also directed the film and they do a nice job of giving each of the different settings and time frames a unique look and feel.
“The Words” is one of those movies that’s really a puzzle, and it all has to come together for the film to work. And it does, though I had a little problem with the ending, which didn’t impact me the way it may others. It just seemed a bit rushed.
“The Words” is rated PG-13 for some adult language and smoking. It’s appropriate for kids 12 and up. It’s entertaining, challenging and has some important things to say about ambition, success and failure.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “The Words” gets a B-.