The Words

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  • Opened September 7, 2012 
  • 1 hr 36 min
  • PG-13 | Smoking and Brief Strong Language

  • Parents: Common Sense Media says OK for kids 13+. More on child suitability

  • When shallow wannabe-writer Rory Jensen (Bradley Cooper) finds an old manuscript tucked away in a bag, he decides to pass the work off as his own. The book, called "The Window Tears," brings Rory great acclaim, until the real author (Jeremy Irons) shows up and threatens to destroy Rory's reputation. Cut to Clayton Hammond (Dennis Quaid), a writer whose popular novel "The Words" seems to mirror Rory's story, leading to speculation that the tome is Hammond's thinly veiled autobiography. Full synopsis

  • Cast: Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, Zoe Saldana
  • Director: Brian Klugman, Lee Sternthal
  • Genres: Suspense/Thriller

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Fan Reviews

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The Words, Wonderful Movie!

by flipper7

I would rate "The Words" movie. 5 stars. ***** The critics evidently 'didn't get' the movie at all. It is a story, in a story in a story, so one has to pay attention. If you are 20 something, you...

Must Go!
Wonderful Movie

by alfie5

My wife and I and her girlfriend went to see "The Words" last night. After reading a lot of reiviews...some very negative especially about the ending...I was curious about how I would evaluate this...

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The Words

by mam01

Four of us attended and good thing. We had a discussion as the playwrights were scrolling. The movie has a few great lessons for life! Unfortunately, it confused an older lady after the movie in...

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Critic Reviews

75
Philadelphia Inquirer
| Steven Rea

Amazingly, though, Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, cowriters and codirectors of The Words, have the audacity - and the skill sets - to pull this all off. They wrest emotional truth out of hokum. They also wrest intelligent, nuanced performances from their cast. Read full review

63
ReelViews
| James Berardinelli

The performances, excepting perhaps Olivia Wilde's odd turn, are solid, and the central story never loses our attention, but there's a lingering aftertaste of vague dissatisfaction. Read full review

63
Chicago Tribune
| Michael Phillips

It's more or less a grown-up picture, and not bad at that, though its muted and patient style has both its merits and its drawbacks. Still, as I say: not bad. Read full review

60
NPR
| Ella Taylor

The Words founders on a spurious dichotomy between love and art. Which is a pity, because the movie is smart and persuasive on the casually incremental way in which plagiarism becomes an option for people like Rory - and perhaps for anyone. Read full review

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Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana in "The Words."