Movie Review by Kristin: THE WORDS

Hey there, movie lovers!

After binge watching The Punisher over the past week, I remembered hearing about this movie that Ben Barnes was in a few years ago and decided to check it out.

THE WORDS was released back in 2012 and stars Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, Jeremy Irons and Ben Barnes.

SYNOPSIS: Rory Jansen, a struggling writer, aspires to be the next great literary voice. When he discovers a lost manuscript in a weathered attaché case, he realizes he possesses something extraordinary that he desperately wishes he had created. Rory decides to pass the work off as his own and finally receives the recognition he desperately craves. However, he soon learns that living with his choice will not be as easy as he thought as he faces a moral dilemma that will make him take a hard look at the man he has become.

I actually enjoyed watching this movie. As a writer, I often find myself questioning my own writing abilities. I can’t tell you how many times in a day I sit and ask myself if I’m good enough to pursue this as a career. I’ve read pieces written by others and I wish I had half of the imagination that they had to create such works of art. The truth is that it all depends on who is reading your work. So, that aspect of the movie really intrigued me. I knew how Rory Jansen felt on a personal level.

While there wasn’t any action in this movie, there was heart and relatability. It may not be for everyone – especially those who are unaware of the trials and tribulations that come along with being a writer. It’s not my favorite movie in the world, but I’m happy I was able to watch it.

Bradley Cooper plays Rory Jansen and does a great job! He’s charming and determined to find his place in the literary world, which is definitely not as easy as one might think. I don’t agree with plagiarizing a novel the way that he does, but I don’t think his intention was to actually have the manuscript published. We all find inspiration in the most random of places, so I think Rory was retyping the manuscript in order to find his own inspiration within this story that he fell in love with. When he saw how excited and proud his wife was, he ran with it.

I enjoyed the concept of a story within a story here as well. I don’t know that the point of it all was as cut and dry as I was expecting, but I overlooked that. It was also a bit disappointing that Ben Barnes’s character as the Young Man barely had any lines. His role was instrumental in the telling of the story, but he’s a fabulous, underestimated actor and I wish they would have given the man some more lines! In any case, even with very few lines, he delivers a fantastic performance. One can even argue whether he is the main character of the story.

Perhaps the movie could have made a stronger impact if it had been just a little bit longer. It leaves the audience with so many unanswered questions and I think tying up a few of them might have been more effective.

As I mentioned, this wasn’t my favorite movie, but if you’re a writer I would recommend watching it. If nothing else, just as a reminder that even through all of the rejection letters and silence from literary agencies and magazines, success can be found in the most unexpected places. Also, don’t plagiarize . . . that’s not cool!