The Words

Brian Klugman's The Words (US, 2012) - A literary film that stands to work best for those who don't read, "The Words" is a slick, superficially clever compendium of stories about authors of uncertain talent and varying success. As is the case in too many films about writers, the pic avoids sharing actual prose in more than teasing snippets -- a choice that, along with the multigenerational casting of Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid and Bradley Cooper, bespeaks its bid for the widest possible appeal. Nevertheless, CBS Films' high-profile Sundance pickup, skedded for fall release, will require some improbably kind words from crix and auds to put it over. 2012MONwg, 2012SUN. RATING: 5