It is rare for Hollywood to tackle an issue such as plagiarism without resorting to beating its chest with self-righteous, bombastic indignation. Having a literary indie loaded with A-listers should be a means of avoiding such a pitfall.
Alas, The Words – the clunkily titled feature debut from Brian Klugman and his creative partner Lee Sternthal – manages to be both leaden in its delivery and dreadfully pious in a business that's perennially troubled (or riddled) with accusations of literary and creative theft.
The directors, who co-wrote the screenplay, boldly opt for an interweaving mesh of narratives with four different authors to focus on.
To begin, we have Dennis Quaid's booming narrator reading from his tome (The Words) to a bookstore-signing crowd, with an overzealous student, played by Olivia Wilde, waiting to pounce.
Inside that story lies the struggling writer Rory (Bradley Cooper) who, while in Paris with his wife (for a while Cooper's real-life squeeze, Zoe Saldana), comes across a manuscript (in a heavily referenced nod to Hemingway), which he palms off as his own. Then there's the real writer, aka Old Man (Jeremy Irons) – and the young, romanticised version of him (within that story).
With four tales competing for screen time – beyond the chief protagonist (which is Cooper's Rory, in case you're wondering) – only a miracle of precision timing could make it work. Despite its obvious expertise behind the lens, a workmanlike script and those moralistic leanings simply make it a chore to sit through. Save perhaps for Irons wringing out the best of a bad job, the remaining cast appear neither credible nor likeable.
Cooper seems to have missed a beat in an otherwise interesting career trajectory away from The Hangover series. Unlike the dopey character of Eddie in last year's Limitless (which also ripped off the writer's block idea but to better effect), Cooper as Rory has been stripped of his charm, semi-possessed in his struggle to find success.
Whether ambitious or simply desperate, we don't warm up to those beady eyes sizing up the prize. Nor do we care about how he will resolve his guilt for the crime. Perhaps it's simply that theft is exactly that, plain and simple. And given the nature of it here, it's hard to consider such a character deserving a clean slate.
Cooper's other forthcoming work – in David O Russell's highly anticipated Silver Linings Playbook – is of far greater consequence, however, suggesting this is a misfire, and one that can be forgiven and forgotten.
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TOUCH RULES
Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.
Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.
Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.
A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.
After a touch the player performs a “roll-ball” - similar to the play-the-ball in league - stepping over or rolling the ball between the feet.
At the roll-ball, the defenders have to retreat a minimum of five metres.
A touchdown is scored when an attacking player places the ball on or over the score-line.
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
SUNDAY'S ABU DHABI T10 MATCHES
Northern Warriors v Team Abu Dhabi, 3.30pm
Bangla Tigers v Karnataka Tuskers, 5.45pm
Qalandars v Maratha Arabians, 8pm
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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ANDROID%20VERSION%20NAMES%2C%20IN%20ORDER
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Aquaman%20and%20the%20Lost%20Kingdom
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Company%20Profile
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Borussia Dortmund, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
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