Words and Pictures

A very entertaining movie but a rather simple and predictable story! Director Fred Schepisi and writer Gerald Di Pego have included - and very cleverly so - two conflicting characters that come to cross purposes and these same two characters must deal not only with the other but also with their personal internal demons.

Here is a story about a clash that involves passion and intellect. Clive Owen as Jack Marcus 'English teacher' is very passionate about the written word and it's effect on the human mind and soul. Juliette Binoche as Dina Delsanto 'Art teacher' is equally passionate about the fine arts and it's effect on the human mind and soul. And so an unofficial challenge develops between these two teachers - which has the greater influence on people - 'words or pictures'. Both teachers compete to be the winner but both teachers must overcome their internal conflicts at the same time. Jack is an alcoholic and Dina suffers advanced rheumatoid arthritis. The fight is on both externally, with the help of the students, and the fight within themselves which accentuates the teachers individual aloneness in this world.

In my opinion Director Schepisi blew his chance to make a truly profound story by not expanding on the one pivotal moment in the story. That moment is when Jack falls onto the still wet painting Dina considered her greatest work! Here is the moment where words and pictures become one! No one can describe a picture and it's effect without words and words can only be comprehended by seeing in ones mind pictures which has an effect on the soul.

Instead the director turns the story into a therapy session for a rather insecure girl and Jack finally deciding to seek help for his alcohol addiction. In the end all is sunshine and springtime which ruined the movie for me. Had Dina been a more insightful artist she would have taken advantage of the 'damage' to her painting by working with it. And Jack would have written a poem or something about the how damaging ourselves also damages others around us. Thus words and pictures are but 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.

I saw it for Juliette Binoche. And, indeed, she remains, scene by scene, the good motif for see ( and love ) this film.

I saw it as teacher, recognizing situations, gestures, mistakes.

I hated the too pink end and I perceived the romance between Dina and Jack as too, too forced, to the border of fake.

I loved, very much, the paintings of Juliette Binoche. And the young actors, giving fair portraits of students.

I saw the duel between words and pictures as decent crafted but not real convincing more than as a didactic method for seduce students and create some romance.

In short, a beautiful film in its essence.

So great to have a movie adults can enjoy amidst a summer of cartoon plots & characters; a movie you can actually take your family to without being bombarded by violence, sex and f-bombs. I loved it. Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche as artists each struggling with demons that have crippled (in Binoche's case, literally) their creative abilities, deliver wonderful performances, as does the entire cast. The well-paced script rolls along at just the right pace, while giving us moments of pause to feel each character's pain and root for their ultimate triumph.

You'd have to be pretty cynical to not like this movie. Could one pick it apart? As with any film, the answer is "sure." But why? Just go. Buy your popcorn and enjoy a really good-hearted film. The audience I saw it with (almost all over 40) was cheering at the end.

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.