CREDIT: CBS FILMS
Bradley Cooper may be better suited to wacky antics in The Hangover than in his serious role in The Words.

The Words (2012)

If Inception was about a dream inside of a dream inside of a dream — that is what that movie was about, right? — then The Words is about a story inside of a story inside of a story. Did you catch that?

The Words is the first foray into directing for duo Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, whose convoluted plot follows the story of a writer writing a story about a writer who steals a story from another writer. One more check, you still caught that?

Clay Hammond is a wildly successful author who embarks on a book reading to introduce a crowd of fans to his newest novel. The story Clay has concocted is about a man named Rory Jansen, an aspiring writer who is learning the hard way that he may not have the chops to make it big in the publishing business. Rory spends his days working an entry-level job for a big publishing house and his nights at home with his wife Dora, pouring his heart and soul into his novel, and he is slowly wearing himself thin. A discovery soon changes his fate, though, as Rory finds an aged manuscript enclosed in a briefcase bought in Paris, and he claims the story as his own. The story Rory claims to have written is about an Old Man and his tragic life in postwar Paris. When the Old Man learns of Rory's thievery, he tracks him down and confronts him about the stolen story, forcing not only Rory the writer but also Clay the writer to contemplate the deepest issues surrounding artistry and creating literary works.

The cast of The Words is nothing shy of outstanding. Dennis Quaid takes on the primary narration role of Clay Hammond, and while he is entertaining as always, he gets so little screen time that his character falls a bit flat.

Taking the lead role as Clay's creation Rory is Bradley Cooper. Though Cooper strives for an emotionally touching performance, it seems clear that his talents are better suited to the comedic tone of The Hangover.

Zoe Saldana steps in beside Cooper as Rory's doting wife Dora. Though little is explained of Dora, other than her unyielding support for Rory, Saldana proves to be both charming and entertaining.

Jeremy Irons plays the character simply called "Old Man" with the same grim vigor he is known for bringing to his roles.

Aside from its overly complex, multi-layered narrative, The Words doesn't provide the audience with a whole lot to chew on. Big questions about originality, ethics and the creative spirit are brought up, but not nearly enough time is devoted to them to gain any insight.

Fans of Inception who have been craving that story within a story feel for the past couple of years will find what they're looking for within The Words, but if that's not quite your thing, unless you want to stare shamelessly at Cooper, this one's probably not going to do it for you.

Rating: 3 out of 5