We watched The Words recently starring Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Olivia Wilde, Jeremy Irons, and Dennis Quaid.  I’ll admit that I have a tiny crush on Bradley Cooper…he’s cute with a comic and dramatic side.  I loved this movie but must admit I’m not sure I understood it.  Where I think I did, there’s a part of me that’s certain the writer would tell me I missed something or got it altogether wrong.

These days it seems most of the commercial movies I hear about are adapted from a short story or novel.  Even the action and adventure movies like the Bourne movies and the fairly recent Jack Reacher movie with Tom Cruise have already gained a loyal following from the books.  The Words is written and directed by Brian Klugman so we all know it’s an uphill battle to gain momentum from an original screenplay.  I give credit to the brave who attempt it.

It helps that I also enjoy books about writers or teachers so I’m a fool for things like Freedom Writers, Won’t Back Down, The Hours, Misery, and Shadowlands to name only a very few.  So in this story our cute Bradley Cooper is an aspiring writer who steals a manuscript he finds and is haunted by the success that should belong to another writer.  That’s it.  But oh, there’s so much more.

So Is It A Good Story?  I loved it.  As much as I would have enjoyed seeing it on the big screen with a Diet Coke and large popcorn (salt only), I did appreciate getting to pause several times and discuss with my husband before moving forward.  It’s that kind of movie.  Go to Redbox or stream this one.  It’s fun to talk about with someone but I daresay you’ll want to meet with Mr. Klugman as much as I do.