Global — Good or bad, we've come to learn that there's consequences to our actions. The film The Words starring Bradley Cooper (The Hangover Part II) and Zoë Saldana (Columbiana) as Rory and Dora Jansen, explores this notion. Rory and Dora are a newly married couple who have a lot of love, but little money. Rory is an aspiring, but struggling writer who tries desperately to get his work published. Dora is his encouraging and supportive wife. Just when it seems like he will never achieve success in the literary world, his career launches with the immediate success of his first published book. Unfortunately, it is a book he did not write.
To make matters worse, the real author surfaces at the peak of Rory's success, which threatens to unravel all he has accomplished – so he thinks. The author, who wrote the book in World War II era while stationed in Paris, is now an elderly man and has an unsuspecting agenda.
What makes this film's plot so intriguing is that it's a story, within a story, within a story. The past, present, and future intersect as the future Rory (Dennis Quaid) narrates the story as an author reciting pages from his book. I love that the film has depth. It starts slowly but just slow enough for us to keep up with the plot. I also enjoyed the chemistry between Saldana and Cooper. Cooper, known for playing more comedic characters, did well in this role. It was a nice break from the typical chauvinistic, pretty boy he has a penchant for playing.
The only downside about the film was the ending, which was a bit too abrupt. The story ended with a feeling that things were unresolved. But maybe that is the point. After all, in real life there is not always a solution, or at least one we are always happy with; perhaps that is the underlying message to be taken away from "The Words."
All-in-all it was a good film to kick off the fall and definitely worth a watch.
Chicly Yours,
The Chic Spy
(Images courtesy of CBS Films)
