Page 22 THE VILLADOM TIMES I, III & IV • September 19, 2012 ‘The Words’ explores theme of consequences by Dennis Seuling Movies about writers are a tough challenge. How does a director make the art of creating fiction dramatic when, in reality, writers spend most of their time in front of a computer either typing away or editing what they have written? In “The Words,” directors Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal tell an intriguing story of plagiarism -- not the usual run-of-the-mill lifting of a passage here, an idea there, an unconscious “borrowing,” but a massive one rooted in selfdoubt. The structure of “The Words” is perhaps its most interesting aspect. A successful author, Clay Hammond (Dennis Quaid), is reading from his latest novel to a rapt audience. As he reads, the film shifts to the story Clay is telling: Rory Jansen (Bradley Cooper) is a struggling author whose work has been rejected by scores of publishers. He nonetheless forges ahead, dependent on periodic financial support from his father (J.K. Simmons) and encouragement from his fiancée, Dora (Zoe Saldana). Rory eventually gets a job at a publishing house, working his way up to mailroom supervisor, and Rory and Dora marry. They honeymoon in Paris, where Dora finds an old briefcase in an antique shop and buys it for her new husband. Back home, Rory is transferring papers into the briefcase when he discovers a complete manuscript with no author attribution. Rory reads it and is blown away. Almost hypnotically, he copies it word for word into his computer. The next day, Dora says she found the story on his computer and read it. She is moved to tears by its sincerity and depth of emotion. Rory asks an editor where he works to have a look, and a few weeks later the editor asks to represent him and is eager to publish the novel. Lured by the prospect of the success that has eluded him, Rory signs a contract and becomes the toast of the publishing world. All is wonderful until an elderly man (Jeremy Irons) strikes up a conversation with Rory in Central Park and claims to be the author of the work for which Rory has taken credit. The film then shifts to the story of the elderly man’s youth and how the manuscript was lost. It was post-World War II Paris. He fell in love with a French girl, married her and had a child, but tragedy befell them and the typed pages of his manuscript were lost. Up to a point, “The Words” works. The notion of consequences for one’s actions is the underlying theme and is Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Irons in ‘The Words.’ nicely integrated into the story within the bookended tale. Cooper and Saldana are pleasant actors who connect with the audience. Their characters are decent folks, and viewers see events through their eyes. The audience gets adequate time to see Rory’s frustration at writing his heart out and yet never hitting the chord that resonates with publishers. It’s easy to understand when he can’t resist changing his life and fortunes with the stroke of a pen. The acting heavyweight, however, is Irons as the unnamed elderly man who claims to be the true author of the manuscript. He doesn’t have a great deal of screen time, but his scenes are the best in the movie. This is a firstclass actor who knows how to convey the unstated thoughts behind the dialogue. Unshaven, long haired, and otherwise unkempt, he is absolutely riveting when he relates his story. However, the movie as a whole is not of the same caliber as this performance. The primary difficulty with “The Words” is its frustratingly inconclusive ending. When the scene finally returns to Clay, he is flirting with a young woman, Daniella (Olivia Wilde), who claims to be a literature junkie, but just might be on hand to discover far more than Clay is willing to reveal. The expectation is that this odd relationship will point to something significant, but it doesn’t and ends up raising more questions than it resolves. Viewers deserve a complete story. An open-ended tale is fine if it points to some definite direction or goal. For example, in Hitchcock’s “Notorious,” it’s quite clear that when Alexander Sebastian goes back into the house, he will not live very long. In “Shane,” when the kid yells, “Come back, Shane,” viewers know Shane never will. And in “Rocky,” even though Rocky Balboa loses his bout with Apollo Creed, is there any doubt that Rocky and Adrienne will have a life together? In “The Words,” viewers are left to ponder that theme of consequences for ourselves with inadequate help from the screenplay. Rated PG-13, “The Words” is a movie that is better in its parts -- individual performances, a scene here and there, and Rory’s palpable guilt -- than as a whole. Still, it does make one appreciate the creative process, writers’ limitations, and how those in love with creating stories persevere even when reality threatens.