OK for kids 13+
Teen-friendly romance is thoughtful but falls short.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Words, some of which takes place in an earlier time period, leans heavily on the idea of consequence, a subject that can be weighty but is also of value for young teens learning to consider the impact of their decisions and behavior. Expect a bit of swearing (one "f--k," a few "s--t"s, etc.) and kissing/making out. There's also some drinking, mostly in social settings (though occasionally to excess), and smoking (accurate for the earlier era that some of the movie takes place in). An infant's death is devastating to his parents.
- Families can talk about choices. What are the consequences of the decisions we make? Why do you think Rory makes the choice he does? Is it understandable? Excusable?
- What is The Words saying about the price of success? Is this a popular theme in movies? Why?
The good stuff
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Messages: You can't run away from the past or bury it. Neither should you co-opt another person's history; you should instead embrace it and own it and try to learn from it. Every choice has a consequence.
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Role models: Rory makes a choice that could haunt him forever. But at heart, he's a good man, a caring husband, and an impassioned writer. Most everyone in the film is sincere and decent; they may be flawed and sometimes hurtful, but it's not borne of malice.
What to watch for
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Violence: Couples have heart-wrenching arguments; an infant dies from illness, leaving his parents devastated. A man throws his belongings around in a fit of anger.
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Sex: Couples kiss and make out, but there's no nudity.
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Language: Relatively infrequent swearing includes one "f--k," plus "s--t," "goddamn," "hell," "ass," and "bulls--t."
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Consumerism: Not an issue
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: Mostly social drinking by adults at parties and restaurants, though a few scenes show characters drinking and upset while inebriated. Lots of period-accurate smoking in the scenes set in the past.
Fan Reviews provided by
5
The Words, Wonderful Movie! by flipper7
I would rate "The Words" movie. 5 stars. *****
The critics evidently 'didn't get' the movie at all.
It is a story, in a story in a story, so one has to pay attention.
If you are 20 something, you might not be able to appreciate/like the movie, because you have not experienced enough of 'life' yet. Otherwise, it is a movie with a message, that everyone should definitely recognize.
It is not just one love story. It is not just about someone stealing another person's words. It is about the human frailty in all of us.
The actors all gave an excellent performance..
It is a very deep, emotional, thought provoking , poignant film, which I plan to see again, I rarely ever see a movie more than one time..
Dumb Critics!
p.s. I saw it a second time 3 days later, and it was great.
The musical score throughout the film was amazing.!
5
Wonderful Movie by alfie5
My wife and I and her girlfriend went to see "The Words" last night. After reading a lot of reiviews...some very negative especially about the ending...I was curious about how I would evaluate this movie. I REALLY thought it was an outstanding movie. The story line was captivating and not at all difficult to follow. I thought the acting was terrific. And, in my opinion, the ending was very appropriate. My wife and her friend felt the same way. A great movie. I highly recommend it.
4
The Words by mam01
Four of us attended and good thing. We had a discussion as the playwrights were scrolling. The movie has a few great lessons for life! Unfortunately, it confused an older lady after the movie in which we had to explain it to her. I like variety in movies, so I thought it was good.
4
A grown-up movie at last by ellenlesteryoung
After a summer of entertainment aimed at feeding the adolescent need for expressions of violence and angry adventure, we are "treated" to the anguish of adults needing success and the decision-making that will bring it to them, regardless of the morality and courage necessary to conduct meaningful lives. It's the "tough" road to success versus an easy answer to solving your "problems."
3
THE WORDS by thedoctor777
This is a wonderful movie, so why the so/so review? It's very slow and drawn out. There is absolutely no action scenes, explosions, car chases or anything let will excite you. What it is, is a story of a lost love and the plagiarism of a mans words. The acting is good and the story is wonderful. I really believe that if you are over 40 you will love this one. If your a teenager or in your 20's or 30"s I don't think you will focus for a couple of hours to see the story within the story being told. There are three plots going on at the same time. I won't describe the three for you that will attend a showing. It is a good movie; but deep, so you have to follow along and pay attention. The director and the screenplay writer did a fantastic job in this films continuity. I know I said it was slow; but I think this story had to be done in the manner it was. I'm just not sure that mainstream audiences will accept the pace favorably.
5
The Words by Chooch4
Finally a good movie! Hope you don't have someone who likes to talk sitting around you because you have to listen. It leaves you thinking about long after it's over. Would like to see it again!
5
The Words by sharbar1957
I loved the movie. My husband and I are still debating over the endless possibilities of messages the movie could send. Decisions have consequence. This is a must see.!!
3
The Words by artistfromsummerville
Although the story line could have been really good, the clumsiness of the plot made it a bit hard to follow at times. Also, not sure that Dennis Quaid was the best choice, nor his love interest.
3
just okay by seema400
Saw the movie last night. It does show how one lie can end up turning into a huge one and impact so many lives. However, to me I felt like the movie didn't really give any resolution and I was just left with a huh? kind of feeling. The acting was really great and I think writers would probably be able to relate to this a lot more than us non-writers
4
Suspenseful and Surprising by pedsarq
I didn't know much about this movie going into it. I knew it was about a writer who finds an old book and passes it off as his own. However, that's just a small part of this intricately woven story of love and the profession of writing and storytelling. First, there's the past: an American GI in Paris falls in loves and experiences some truly difficult relationship traumas. He temporarily separates from his wife and pours his heart out on the page and completes a terrifically personal novel. The next storyline is the story within another book, which is essentially the main storyline of the movie, where a writer passes that American GI's novel as his own, sells it, and it becomes a huge success. The original author, the American GI, shows up to confront the fraud to further advance the story. The final layer, which serves to tie all the stories together, is of another author telling both stories. It sounds confusing, but it just works well as a thriller.