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A Thousand Words

1380 votes

Jack McCall is a fast-talking literary agent, who can close any deal, any time, any way. He has set his sights on New Age guru Dr. Sinja for his own selfish purposes. But Dr. Sinja is on to him, and Jack’s life comes unglued after a magical Bodhi tree mysteriously appears in his backyard. With every word Jack speaks, a leaf falls from the tree and he realizes that when the last leaf falls, both he and the tree are toast. Words have never failed Jack McCall, but now he’s got to stop talking and conjure up some outrageous ways to communicate or he’s a goner.

Status: Released

Released Date: 2012-03-07

Runtime: 91 mins

Director: Brian Robbins

Writer: Steve Koren

Spoken language: English

Genres: Drama, Comedy, Fantasy

Original title: A Thousand Words

Production Companies: Paramount Pictures, Saturn Films, Varsity Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures

Production Countries: United States of America

Cast

Eddie Murphy

Kerry Washington

Cliff Curtis

Clark Duke

Allison Janney

Emanuel Ragsdale

Ruby Dee

Christian Leger de la Touffe

Alain Chabat

Jill Basey

Greg Collins

Robert LeQuang

Michael G. Wilkinson

Lyndsey Nelson

Michael Cody Gilbert

Reviews

RalphRahal

A Thousand Words has a solid premise that could have been something special, but the execution feels shallow. The plot is unique and had the potential to explore deeper themes, but instead, it plays things too safe, relying on surface-level humor and predictable emotional beats. The directing feels uninspired, and while the pacing is decent, it never fully leans into the weight of its own concept. Cinematography is standard, nothing particularly memorable, and the visual storytelling doesn’t do much to enhance the narrative. Eddie Murphy delivers a good performance, especially given how much he has to rely on physical expressions rather than dialogue, but the script lets him down. The writing lacks depth, missing opportunities to make the story more impactful. The comedy is fine, though nothing standout, and while there are moments of emotional sincerity, they don’t hit as hard as they should. The soundtrack is forgettable, doing just enough to support the scenes without adding much character. Overall, it’s an easy watch, but knowing how much more it could have been makes it feel like a missed opportunity.

2025-02-13

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