We know movie tickets are , so let our movie columnist Jason Weiler give you the low-down on whether or not you should drop $11.50. This week he watches a movie with a theme that should strike close to home for many college students: plagarism.
If you find yourself ever in the mood for a film that will force you to re-examine your perception of consequence, then rush out to see “The Words”. From the fresh writing and directing team of Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, this film plays out like a book. This approach is sure to polarize several people, yet what is important about it is not its method of presentation, but its central message.
“The Words” tells the story of a struggling young writer named Rory Jansen (Cooper) who, while honeymooning in Paris, finds the manuscript of a novel in an old leather briefcase purchased by his bride (“Star Trek’s” Zoe Saldana).
Once he reads the manuscript, he is so mesmerized by its brilliance that he chooses to pass it off as his own work. Not surprisingly, it leads to much success, all of which is shattered upon the arrival of a old man (Irons) who accuses Rory of stealing his work.
The brightest spot of the film is the scene in Central Park in which Irons confronts Rory. The audience is fortunate enough that this scene is as drawn out as it is, because the interaction between the young Cooper and the grizzled Irons is downright brilliant. This is an important film for anyone who is or who at least calls himself or herself a “writer.” In the modern world of creativity, as the more cutthroat the industry becomes, the dying concepts of morality and honesty become more important. But what “The Words” reminds you of is that timeless adage: all actions have consequences, and almost never do you choose your consequences.
That is not to say that “The Words” is a perfect film in any sense. It’s written like a book, and is perhaps too short of a story. Yes, these are structural gripes, and they do affect the way you see a film, but in the case of “The Words”, they’re irrelevant.
The film is like a lecture, bursting at the seams with a crucial theme. Love or hate it as you please, but it is an important film to see. Whatever it loses in it’s choppy writing style, “The Words” more than makes up for with the profound lesson it teaches.
The Words, starring Bradley Cooper, Dennis Quaid, Jeremy Irons, and Zoe Saldana, is Rated PG-13. 97 minutes. FOGHORN GRADE: A-
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