The Words (2012)

The Words review by Alyse Garner - Cinema Paradiso

A human’s desire to be more than what he is is not a new phenomenon, people are always going to dream bigger and want more, its just in our nature. The Words doesn’t dispute this so much as explain why that want for more, that want to be accomplished is so important to us as people and why ultimately it is not a bad thing, even if we do bad things to get there.

The Words tells a three generational story about three writers and the way their writing influenced their lives from lonely celebrity Clay Hammond (Dennis Quaid) to Rory Jansen (Bradley Cooper), a young dreamer with a hope of getting his foot in the door. However when Rory does something unforgivable he must face an old writer (Jerermy Irons) whose writing defined and tainted his life.

Armed with a plethora of great performances from a tragic turn by Jeremy Irons to a return to form for Dennis Quaid, The Words is also weighed down by a truly awful turn by Zoe Saldana as Rory’s wife Dora, a character more suited in a Nicholas Sparks novel. The Words keeps you entertained with a detailed story of love, empathy and forgiveness. It’s a smartly written film by writer/director duo Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal as it discusses not only the importance of people's actions but also these characters sense of morality.

While not quite the emotional drama envisioned it tells its story well and knows what it wants to say and is guided by a directing team that truly understand the nuances of the tale they are telling. The three stories meld to form a grand narrative about dreaming and the risks and heartbreaks that come with living your life and making mistakes, a narrative that satisfies and may just leave you with a little room to put your own imagination to work.