Performances by Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche save this little film and make it a worthwhile entertainment value. The film is called Words and Pictures under the direction of Fred Schepisi who gave us the wonderful comedy love story Roxanne. Here he goes a little darker with a drama that wanders a bit, but comes back to center for a nice finale.
The story opens in the upscale prep school classroom of English Professor Jack Marcus (Owen) who presses his students to understand the importance of words. He’s a whimsical teacher that’s open to getting the students to come up with their own kind of poetry about life. He also has a drinking problem that gets him way over the top at times with both his students and faculty members.
Enter Dina Delsanto (Binoche), a famous artist that has taken a leave from her painting due to the advancement of her rheumatoid arthritis that attacks the muscles in the hands and other parts of her body. She agrees to sign on at the prep school to teach painting. She’s been a cold person, sort of an ice queen and her reputation has leaked to the students at the school. She’s domineering because her passion for good art pushes her to concentrate on developing her students especially Emily (Valerie Tian) who has promise.
From their first meeting Dina and Jack have clashed as opposites in their philosophy. Jack’s pushy personality works against him, but eventually the two starts to see eye to eye on some matters. He believes however that words are more important than pictures as they make the person with whom you are communicating visualize a lot more than a photo of something. When Jack suggests a final project of the year as a contest that involves which gives more value words or pictures, an all out war begins that may save both teachers from falling into a black hole.
The acting is brilliant under the direction of Fred Schepisi who keeps his film moving along at a pleasant pace. He devotes a lot of time to both main characters showing each of their personalities and problems in their lives. Then he brings the two together for a romantic romp only to pit them against each other in a heartfelt finale. With a mix of some fine performances involving several students from both English Honors and Art classes, he provides a perfect canvas for a delightful film.
Not too preachy, the film does indulge in a lot of information that does make the film wander a bit, especially with Jack’s son Tony (Christian Scheider) who has his own problems dealing with his father’s alcoholism. Even Binoche takes her character a little too over the top with her dealings with Emily. She’s very pushy as she sees a lot of herself in Emily, but sometimes gets overly intrusive.
Words and Pictures has been rated PG-13 for sexual material including nude sketches, language and some mature thematic material. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the film as it does have some scenes that are inappropriate for adolescents.
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Clive Owen, Juliette Binoche, Bruce Davison, Navid Negahban, Valerie Tian, Christian Scheider and Amy Brenneman
Directed by: Fred Schepisi
Genre: Drama, Romance, Comedy
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual material including nude sketches, language and some mature thematic material
Running Time: 1 hr 51 min
Release Date: May 30, 2014
Distributed by: Roadside Attractions
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
