The Words
Starring Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons
Directed by Brian Klugman & Lee Sternthal
Bradley Cooper is best known for roles requiring sexy cool smoothness coupled with comic relief.The actor flexes his dramatic muscles in The Words and, although his performance is commendable, he cant quite keep the film afloat.
Cooper maintains his suave style in the multi-layered drama as struggling writer Rory Jansen, who finally achieves literary success after flat out copying a manuscript he found in an antique shop.Sure enough, he is confronted by a nameless elderly man (Irons) who claims to be the original author of the novel; Jansen must now pay the price for stealing another mans work.
The simple approach to the plot works effectively until the other storylines are introduced. A series of flashbacks to 1940s Paris reveal the backstory of the old man (played by Ben Barnes) in needlessly intricate fashion. In addition, a third narrative element is introduced with Dennis Quaid as another author performing a public reading of his novel, which is seemingly about the movies initial plot line having trouble keeping up?
A handful of strong actors are wasted with one-dimensional characters and a heavy-handed script which squanders the collective talents of the cast; its especially disappointing to watch the veteran Irons do his best with the shoddy material.
The Words plays out like a bad TV movie as the intriguing story and setup become enshrouded in messy dialogue and vapid scenes. Bradley Cooper shows hes more than a wise-cracking pretty face here; its too bad his character has nowhere to go.
