The Words

I liked The Words, and I am recommending it, but I think I would have liked it more if the multi-plot structure had been simplified. The movie weaves together three different plots, each of them connected to one another by a common theme. This is all good, but of the plots, one of them is almost completely unnecessary. If the movie had just focused on the two main plots, given them even more time to develop, and had completely dropped the third one, this could have been something to really rush out and see.

The plot that doesn't work is the one that opens the film - An author named Clayton Hammond (Dennis Quaid) is reading from his latest novel to an appreciative audience. The story he is reading is what will make up a majority of the film. So, why is this plot here? I guess it's supposed to make us wonder about the tone the movie ends on, and I'm trying my hardest to avoid spoilers here. Clayton meets with a young fan of his work (Olivia Wilde). They connect, he takes her back to his apartment, and then...Well, I guess I'm getting ahead of myself, actually. Like I said, the segments with Quaid's character are supposed to set up the two other main plots, which are much more interesting and manage to hold our attention better. Every time the action switches back to Quaid reading the book, I started to get restless in my seat a little.

The story that Clayton is reading (and the film's central plot) concerns a wannabe author named Rory Jenson (Bradley Cooper, very good here). Rory is frustrated, as he's been trying to get his book published for years now, and no one seems interested. He's starting to doubt himself, and wonders if perhaps he will just be one of those people who never gets to do what he wants in life. Then, while honeymooning in Paris with his lovely wife, Dora (Zoe Saldana), he happens to buy an old leather bag at an antique shop. Inside the bag is an unpublished manuscript that Rory knows is better than anything he could have ever written in his life as soon as he reads it. This knowledge infuriates and intrigues him at the same time. One fateful night, Rory decides to rewrite the manuscript word for word, wanting to know how it felt to write something so heartfelt. Dora happens to stumble upon his rewritten manuscript and, mistaking it for his own work, encourages him to show it to publishers.

What I particularly enjoyed about Rory is how they play all sides of his dilemma. Yes, he knows he is wrong for taking credit for it. Part of what's wonderful about Cooper's performance is how he is able to show the guilt his character is going through, and the emotional hoops he has to jump through in order to keep the lie going. When the book becomes published and becomes a worldwide sensation, Rory does not know how to handle it. This is when a character who is known only as the Old Man (Jeremy Irons) enters the picture. He is the man who originally wrote the novel years ago, and lost it. One day, he tracks Rory down in Central Park. The Old Man does not necessarily want to confront Rory about his theft, as he is not even all that angry about it. He simply wants to tell Rory the story behind the book.

This brings us to our third plot, which is a flashback story about a young American soldier (Ben Barnes) in post-World War II France who falls in love with a beautiful young woman (Nora Amezeder), and gave up his old life to remain in France with her. They married and had a child, who later died of a disease at a very young age. This created friction in their relationship, and when the woman could no longer handle things and left him, the soldier sat down at a typewriter, and poured his heart into writing a novel. Said novel was later lost on a train, and had never been seen again until Rory discovered it, and published it as his own story. The story of the Old Man, and Rory's ethical battle with himself after he learns the truth should have been the central and only focus of the film. It is clearly when The Words is at its best.

The stuff concerning Rory's struggles with writing and getting published is also fascinating, as it rings true, and seems honest. I can't say for sure, but it certainly sounded like writers and directors Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal were speaking from experience here. Also good is the stuff concerning the Old Man. Jeremy Irons gives a great performance, one that is somewhat sad and regretful, but also wise. The movie is smart not to make him a confrontational character, or to try to threaten Rory for stealing his book. It plays things a bit smarter, with the Old Man passing on his story to Rory, and sharing what he has learned in his life. It also helps that the characters are written as smart people, and seem quite likable.

It's the other plots that drag things down a little bit. I already talked about the plot concerning Quaid's character, and how it didn't really seem all that necessary, since the focus should have been completely on Rory's story. But, the flashbacks concerning the Old Man's younger years kind of drag, also. But, I understand that this is also a necessary and key part of the story. The flashbacks are the real heart of the film, and while they're well made, we don't get to know the lovers as much as I think we should have. I guess this is why I wanted the third plot concerning Quaid to be removed. It would have given both Rory and the Old Man's stories time to be truly fleshed out. I felt like there was more than what was being told. We get enough of the details to get by, but I still wanted to know more.

In the end, I am still recommending The Words, because what does work is very strong. The performances are wonderful all around, and the movie respects its characters and its audience by playing things mainly smart. I just think the multiple plots could have been tightened a bit more. If they had been, this would have been truly a movie to remember. As it is, it's a good movie with some flaws holding it back.

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