Words and Pictures

Really didn't like this one at all. Very plain boring lead characters. Drawn out with very little dramatic, romantic or comedic entertainment value. There are plenty other of options to pursue before you jump into this one definitely give something else a shot.Even if you enjoy Clive Owen as I usually do in most films I see him in its a tough watch. Definitely depressing you"ve been warned by credits i said out loud well could of done with out that one and you will to unless you're a teacher who can relate to the story i suppose.Its quite difficult to even provide a complete review for a film where so little actually happens I wanted to like this movie going in but instead i suffered through the second half of it and have hopefully reached the line requirements so i no longer have to talk about it good watching.

source: Words and Pictures

Review: Man, this film was long and extremely boring. Nothing seemed to happen all the way through the film and I really struggled to keep my eyes open. I can't really say what the film is about because I really lost interest after a while, but I think it's about two teachers who bring there worlds together of words and pictures by holding a competition in a school. Clive Owen, whose from the world of words, is a alcoholic who is fighting to keep is job and Binoche is from the world of pictures who hasn't got faith in her work. Its seemed more like a play than a movie because there's a lot of dialogue which I got bored of. The love story was a bit strange between the two characters and the tone was dull and it just seemed to drag after a while. That's not to say that the two top actors didn't play there parts well but I just didn't relate to there characters. I was extremely impressed with Binoche who was playing a disabled woman who found many different ways to do her paintings but it wasn't enough to save this drawn out movie. Disappointing! Round-Up: I think that the main problem that I found with the film was that I wasn't interested in the subject matter. The challenge between words and pictures is a good concept which could make a good film, but you really need to make the characters interesting. The chemistry between the two main characters was OK but they really came from two different world's which made them hard to connect. On the plus side, it's a different side to Clive Owen's acting style which we haven't seen in a while and he has proved that he take on any project, but this movie really didn't do it for me. Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: $3.2million I recommend this movie to people who are into their dramas about 2 teachers who are trying to bring there world's of words and pictures together, by holding a competition for there students. 3/10

Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche are excellent actors, even when given clichéd and mundane scripts, such as this one. "Words and Pictures" begins with an interesting concept, what speaks better: words or pictures? Clive Owen plays an English honors teacher who, in his private life, struggles with alcohol and a relationship with his son. Juliette Binoche plays a well renounced artist battling a disease that makes it hard for her to use certain techniques when painting and has landed herself as an Arts honor teacher. The chemistry between the two is pretty believable. And there are moments when the two show off their fine acting skills, because quite frankly they are what lead the story. Director Fred Schepisi lacks the talent he had when directing romantic comedies such as "Roxanne," and Gerald Di Pego once again shows that he has yet to improve on his writing. What starts out as a great premise ultimately gets muddled by unnecessary aspects. The acting of the students is honestly very corny. The audience has no sympathy for them what so ever. Though the audience gets a few laughs in, the story is just not thought out well enough to achieve what it wants.

"A picture is worth a thousand words." Jack Marcus (Owen) is an English teacher that has a slight alcohol problem and is in danger of losing his job. The school hires Dina Delsanto (Binoche) a famous artist that has her own struggles she is dealing with to teach art. What starts off as a harmless comment about words being lies soon becomes a war between words and pictures. The teachers drag their students into the battle which end up helping everyone involved. This is a perfect example of don't judge a book (or in this case movie) by its cover. Going in I was expecting a cheesy romantic comedy that has been done over and over. While this did have the romance aspect this dealt much more with education. Clive Owen plays a teacher that the kids love but the administration hates. He does things his own way and actually gets through to the kids. Binoche's character is angry at having to teach but still makes a connection with the students. The movie is a back and forth argument over which has more power words or pictures with great arguments for both sides. This movie has the type of educational influence that movies along the lines of Dead Poet's Society or Mr. Holland's Opus has. This is a huge surprise of a movie that I just can not say enough about. One of the better movies of the year and I highly recommend this. Overall, if you like inspirational movies about education then check this out. I loved it. I give this an A-.

I almost opted out of seeing Words and Pictures but I'm very happy that I saw it. The movie is about a high school English teacher who was once an acclaimed publisher but lost his creativity because he thinks it's not appreciated by his students and drowns his sorrows in alcohol. He is played by Clive Owen who performed brilliantly. He intersects with a new world renowned Art teacher played by Juliette Binoche who is struggling to maintain her ability to create due to a debilitating medical condition which physically prevented her from painting with fine strokes. Juliette Binoche transforms amazingly and performs well. I didn't even recognize her as the actress that played Vianne in Chocolat which I loved her in and Hana the nurse in The English Patient. In their dual over their passions of words and pictures, they end up challenging each other and their students and movie goers alike to appreciate and desire to create beauty using words and art. After watching Belle and a slew of other movies set around Victorian Era England, I noted that our conversational language has become so simple when there are so many beautiful words available to us. This movie echoes that sentiment. I expected Words and Pictures to be an overly artsy romantic love story but it was balanced. There are two things I didn't like about this movie. The first is that we aren't given the back story of the main characters. The characters even acknowledge they don't know a lot about each other but they are satisfied with it and I guess movie goers were supposed to be OK with it as well. The second is that besides reciting other people's words, Clive Owen's character doesn't say much of his own words that conveys his whole premise about words. I kept waiting for this great prose from him, but never got it. Overall the movie is entertaining and inspiring and I recommend you go see it.

There's great magic in Words and Pictures. And that magic comes from the sheer joy of watching a real human story so eloquently played out before our eyes. In a time when we are bombarded by CGI laden, tent pole films crafted by marketing firms rather than great storytellers, it is refreshing to find a summer film that focuses on character and the human condition. I loved this film and the emotional journey it takes us on. Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche are both at the top of their game in this film, giving us layered performances that are humorous, touching and yes… I'll use the word again… human. The greatest strength of this film is it's screenplay with it's honest look at relationships. The relationship between words and pictures becomes the vehicle by which we dive into all the emotional relationships. These are flawed and delicate characters making their way through the minefield of life. Fathers and sons, lovers, coworkers, mentors and mentees. All of the relationships play out so beautifully and honestly on screen. From our wonderful leads to even the smallest of supporting characters, not an emotive moment is wasted. Thank God there are films where great writing is still revered and producers, directors and actors who take a chance with those words and bring them to the screen in glorious moving pictures. Don't miss this one!

This is an honest movie that could be classified as a romantic comedy, but offers something more cerebral than that. Through its main protagonist, the witty but self-destructive Jack (who plays tennis in his lounge room when drunk) we see a glimpse of the kind of inspirational teacher from Dead Poets Society recast in the information age where students can answer any question by referring to their electronic devices, while never understanding the worth of the question in the first place. Don't let the love story fool you into thinking this is a chick flick. It's about appreciating the creation and expression of new ideas, neatly summed-up in the title: Words & Pictures. This movie pleasantly surprised me with its clever dialogue and wordplay, despite the boy-meets-girl, etc storyline. Well worth a look.

At a posh New England secondary school, with an ocean setting, English teacher Jack (Clive Owen) is in the midst of a middle age crisis. Only, he doesn't know it. Not yet. Others have observed that he drinks too much and is often a few minutes late to class, with poor lesson planning. To his credit, Jack is extremely dedicated and bright, making the most of his classes and connecting well with students. But, he is headed for trouble. That is, until a new art teacher, Dina (Juliette Binoche) arrives at the academy, cane in hand, for she suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. Needless to say, Jack rubs her the wrong way almost instantly, although it is quite clear that Dina can give tit for tat. After a discussion in her art honors class, students tell Jack that Dina thinks words are far less important and meaningful than pictures. Ho ho, Jack pounces on this pronto. Now, he tells his pupils, this is war and lays out a strong defense of the power of words by reading many meaningful passages of literature. An ultimate challenge of the two dueling forms of communication may lie ahead. In the meantime, Jack is told he is going to be "reviewed" by the board of directors and may be let go. He also is having difficulties with his college age son. Happily, Dina may be showing some romantic interest in Jack. What lies ahead in the battle of words and pictures? This wonderful and poignant movie is most welcome in this age of flicks aimed at young adult males. It offers a romance between middle aged characters and has an alluring, finely written script. Owen and Binoche are pitch perfect in their roles while the supporting cast of Bruce Davison, Amy Brenneman, and well-selected teenage actors are charming, too. The coastal setting is absolutely lovely while costumes, photography, and a worthy direction by Fred Schepisi bring terrific results. Please go support this movie, true-blue film fans. Unless you do, Hollywood won't offer this kind of movie very often.

If you are looking for a romance, you might want to skip "Words and Music". The romance portion of the film is very abortive and not at all satisfying if that is what you have in mind. However, if you watch the film simply to watch fine acting, then you'll be very impressed. As for the story, with a slight reworking, it would have been wonderful. As it is, it's decent but no more. The film is set at a fancy prep school in Maine. The story is about two teachers. One is a 'cool' English teacher, Jack (Clive Owen), and the other a brand new teacher--an art teacher named Dina (Juliet Binoche). At first, the audience likes Jack--he seems very clever and funny. And, in contrast, Dina is angry and difficult to like. However, through the course of the film as you learn more about them, your opinion will change. Jack is a drunk--and he's also full of crap. It's actually very difficult to like him or even care about him, handsome as he is. As for Dina, you realize that a lot of her grouchiness is the result of her having to give up her beloved art career, as she's become disabled due to severe rheumatoid arthritis. She is decent down deep and despite her thorny veneer, you tend to like her. The problem, then, with what romance there is in the film is that you know Dina can do so much better and you really DON'T want her with Jack. So how does all this work itself out? See the movie. The best thing about the movie is the acting. Clive Owen is simply amazing. He gets you to hate him--which is great. But he also shows vulnerability and emotion that make his performance riveting. He also manages to somehow outshine Binoche--which is amazing considering she's a fine actress herself. As for the story it's a lot of good and a little bad. I loved some of the other characters and subplots (such as the sexual harassment situation) and the story was so unique. However, on the negative side, the alcoholism aspect is REALLY rushed and Jack goes from a jerk in denial to a guy in touch with his need for AA too quickly. Additionally, the film goes through this aspect to his making peace with Dina way too fast--much more time should have transpired to make the viewer realize his sudden transformation is NOT just some passing fad. Still, on balance, the good far outweighs the bad...even though it is NOT really a romance and should not be seen as one going into the film. If you do expect this, you'll likely be disappointed.