Plot Synopsis:
A writer at the peak of his literary success (Bradley Cooper) discovers the steep price he must pay for stealing another man’s work. Also starring Jeremy Irons, Zoe Saldana, Dennis Quaid, and Olivia Wilde.
Official Trailer:
Full Review:
Okay guys, listen up. I’m going to share some personal news with you all. I’ve always wanted to be a writer. Despite my adoration for film and cinema, my love for movies is mainly due to my fascination with books and novels. Ever since the age of five, I’ve wrote many short stories (which were all terrible) and have read many superbly written novels. And in fact, I’m planning to write a full length science fiction novel and hoping to finish it later this year. At heart, I’m a bookworm and I’m a proud one at that.
So when I heard that this film was about a struggling writer trying to break into the publishing industry, I was intrigued. And I was even more intrigued when I heard that Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook, The Place Beyond The Pines) and Jeremy Irons (Die Hard With A Vengeance, The Lion King) were starring. And when I learnt it was a drama, I was flat out excited! You guys know how much I love my dramas!!
So what did I think of The Words? I thought it was good, but not brilliant. I was immersed into the story, but my experience was tainted by a few bothersome flaws in which I will divulge into.
As always, we’ll begin with what the film did well. Like I said earlier, I was immersed into the story and that wouldn’t be the case if I didn’t care so much about the characters. With this being a drama, good character development was vital in making this a successful film and thankfully, every character had a excellent amount of substance and great significance. No matter what emotion each character is feeling, you feel the same as they do as if you’re holding their hand throughout, which is something every film should aim to do.
Of course, great characters wouldn’t exist without great acting. Fortunately, The Words has exactly that, which isn’t much of a surprise with the talents of Cooper and Irons being showcased on screen who play their respective parts well, particularly Jeremy Irons who effortlessly exudes emotion and feeling in his role. Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Star Trek) gives a good performance as well, and quite possibly the best I’ve seen her. But to be honest, the only people I didn’t like we’re Olivia Wilde and Dennis Quaid. I just found them slightly annoying and their characters seemed to belong in a bad RomCom, judging by how they interacted with each other. They don’t have roles that dominate the story much so it’s not a major issue but it’s still an issue I had nevertheless.
Apart from the acting, I was invested in this film due to how layered this film was. In case you’re unaware, the film bounces back and forth between three time periods; the past, present, and future. The story that takes place in the present is (very aptly) narrated by Dennis Quaid from the future time period, who makes mention of Jeremy Irons’s character who then narrates the story from the past. So, it’s a story within a story within a story… Story-ception!!! But seriously, each layer is handled well and given enough importance and dedication. So big credit to the film for that.
However, where the acting and the story structure excel, the writing itself falls short. At times, the story is very cliché and therefore feels a little bit like ‘Been here, done that‘, with scenarios such as the classic “Two Strangers Talk On A Bench In The Park” and the family favourite “Moving Into New House To Start A New Life”.Because of these clichés, the story can also feel pretty predictable, especially the ending. Although it was touching and eloquent, I saw it coming from a mile away. With a strong story of this calibre, its a massive shame that these factors bring down the film’s overall quality by a few notches.
I also felt that pacing was a fairly big issue. By that, I mean it wasn’t ‘in your face’ big but it was noticeable and consequently off putting. As previously mentioned, the film takes place throughout three different time periods and it is for this reason that we are unsure of how long each period lasts. I have no idea how long Bradley Cooper had to suffer through his ordeal and it’s repercussions since it is not addressed or even subtly mentioned. Just to prove my point, Cooper is told to get a job (don’t worry, no spoilers!) and yet a minute later, he’s nailed a work placement and then another minute later, he says he’s worked there for two friggin’ years! Films don’t have to show us everything, but I would’ve liked to see build up of some kind.
And whilst on the topic of clichés, the dialogue was a bit iffy and wasn’t incredibly original in some regard. As a whole, it’s just passable but during some scenes, you can kind of sense awkwardness and inauthenticity in the flow of the conversation and the words the characters speak. I may only be picking up on this due to being exposed to SO many films with dialogue exactly like this and I’m fairly confident regular audiences won’t give a toss about whether or not the dialogue seems forced or somewhat contrived. But I’m not regular, so I do give a toss about it!!
It really irritates me that The Words has a inviting story that’s on the verge of riveting, but is unfortunately scattered with amateurish imperfections in how it’s executed. The script could’ve been improved by a substantial amount but I will say that the enjoyability of the film isn’t degraded because of this. I didn’t want to kill myself while watching this film, which is an added bonus(!), and I definitely don’t regret seeing it as it has some very moving and wonderfully composed moments. But at the end of the day, I have to compare it to an attractive woman with a terrible personality. It’s beautiful on the surface, but it’s inherent flaws sadly cannot be ignored.
Fergie’s Final Fifteen:
Poignant and captivating, but is woefully ironic in its flaws. Not painful but not magnificient.
FERGIE FILMS 