Synopsis
The Words follows young writer Rory Jansen who finally achieves long sought after literary success after publishing the next great American novel. There's only one catch - he didn't write it. As the past comes back to haunt him and his literary star continues to rise, Jansen is forced to confront the steep price that must be paid for stealing another man's work, and for placing ambition and success above life's most fundamental three words.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Bradley CooperRory Jansen
- Zoe SaldañaDora Jansen
- Jeremy IronsThe Old Man
- Dennis QuaidClay Hammond
- Olivia WildeDanielle
- J.K. SimmonsMr. Jansen
- John HannahRichard Ford
- Zeljko IvanekJoseph Cutler
- Ben BarnesYoung Man
- Michael McKeanNelson Wylie
Recommendations
- 60
Arizona Republic
A lush but fumbling literary melodrama outfitted with an attractive, generations-spanning cast and a puzzle box of three competing narratives. - 50
The Playlist
The Words fails to surpass dramatically the bland lack of specificity in its title while still offering a solid roundup of performances from its talented ensemble cast. - 50
Variety
A literary film that stands to work best for those who don't read, The Words is a slick, superficially clever compendium of stories about authors of uncertain talent and varying success. - 50
Chicago Sun-Times
Watching the movie, I enjoyed the settings, the periods and the acting. I can't go so far as to say I cared about the story, particularly after it became clear that its structure was too clever by half. - 50
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The fatal flaw of this screenwriting term paper is that Cooper's character is a boring jerk we're supposed to regard as a nice guy who made an honest mistake. - 40
Boxoffice Magazine
The Words is a movie for people who buy their novels at Starbucks, made by people who write their novels at Starbucks. - 40
Time Out
The connections among the film's various plot strands are painfully obvious; by the time a grizzled Jeremy Irons saunters in, ready to dole out a comeuppance, perceptive viewers will have mentally flipped to the last page. - 25
Slant Magazine
The film folds narratives on top of narratives in a vain attempt to mask the fact that there's nothing to read between its graceless lines.
