Greetings,
I don't know why this is, but the films in which I think some actors are at their best tend to be ones that not a ton of people have seen. Or worse, they've seen them and don't like them. It could be because my taste is different from that of the masses, or I'm just smarter than everyone. Yeah, I like that second explanation. I kid. Truth is, when I enjoy these kinds of movies, I usually understand why they didn't appeal to everyone. For example, because I'm a writer, I have gravitated a lot toward films about writers. Now, in some cases of those, I can see why people who aren't writers might not be interested. Maybe that's what happened with the movie I will be discussing today, The Words.
The Words is a 2012 film starring Jeremy Irons, Zoe Saldana, Dennis Quaid and Bradley Cooper, acting NOTHING like his character from The Hangover. Well, no wonder I like this thing so much. Anyway, the plot of this film is not confusing at all if you're watching it, but trying to explain it to someone else may be a bit tricky, mostly because it is a story within a story, and yet another story added in there as well. Some people might call this a deal breaker; I call it a way to challenge the audience a bit. And all that's fine, because it was meant to be seen, not just told about. Still, I will do my best here.
The movie begins with a writer, Clayton Hammond (Dennis Quaid) doing a public reading of his new book. It is called The Words (Hey!), and as he reads, we see the story play out for us. It is all about a man named Rory Jansen(Bradley Cooper). He is an aspiring writer from New York, and he has a girlfriend named Dora(Zoe Saldana). Rory has written a novel and hopes to sell it, but it is constantly rejected by publishers. Still, he refuses to give up on his dreams of being a successful writer and will do anything to become one. He even becomes so desperate as to borrow money from his father, played by J.K. Simmons, in order to sustain himself as he pursues his goal.
Soon after, Rory and Dora get married and head off on their honeymoon in Paris. And, no, I don't know how people who need parental handouts can afford a trip to Paris either, but whatever. We'll call it a plot point, because it kind of is. Whilst in an antique shop, Dora buys Rory an old (duh!) briefcase in which to carry his writing work. When they get home, amid even more book rejections, Rory examines the case until he discovers something inside - a manuscript. He reads it and gets inspired by it. Extremely inspired.
So this new book of Rory's gets published. Not only does it get published, but it becomes overwhelmingly popular. Rory is enjoying this success, of course, until one day who meets an old man in Central Park played by Jeremy Irons in the best performance I've seen from him in years. The old man (yes, that is his character's name) tells Rory the tale of a young man and a young woman and the life they once had together. This story sounds quite familiar to Rory. You see where this going, I imagine. So they talk, and then, the man leaves.
Back in the real world and between the sharing of these parts of the book, Clayton meets a woman named Daniella, played by Olivia Wilde. After the reading, they go back to his place, because...of course, they do. While there, Daniella asks to know how the story in the book ends. Hesitantly, Clayton tells her. And that's where I'm going to stop. Not that there is some huge twist, but there is story and character development that culminates at this point. All the pieces come together, and, though it is a tad predictable, I don't think it's that big of a deal.
Ultimately, The Words ends up being more about the small parts, the moments with characters, that hold the bigger picture together, rather than the story as a whole. Not to say that the story isn't good or engaging. It is. But, like I said, you tend to see where things are going. Fortunately, though, the path on which we are put to get there is built very well. Also, with such a phenomenal cast, which also includes Ben Barnes, John Hannah, Nora Arnezeder and Zeljko Ivanek, you can't go wrong with how it is all brought to the audience.
I personally enjoy this movie an awful lot. Again, though, I am a writer, so I was attracted to a story about a writer. I loved the way that it showed what so many of us go through in regards to so many aspects of our artistic life. It shows the effects of wanting success, getting success, being honest with one's work, and how whether or not a person is truly a writer is not measured by fame or popularity. Now I would understand if others weren't interested, but, if you're a fan of anyone in this movie, I say give it a shot. You might like it; you might not. It's definitely worth a look.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
