Words and Pictures

Roadside Attractions | Release Date: May 23, 2014

5.9	USER SCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 18 Ratings

USER RATING DISTRIBUTION

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Watch Now

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Review this movie

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Please sign in or create an account before writing a review.

Check box if your review contains spoilers

0 characters (5000 max)

User Reviews

User score By date Most helpful

GinaKSep 21, 2014

If you set a film at a prep school and picture basically obedient, ideally brought up students, this is about as good as you can manage to get. The debate, although kind of fudged at the end, was reasonably good (given the setting and allIf you set a film at a prep school and picture basically obedient, ideally brought up students, this is about as good as you can manage to get. The debate, although kind of fudged at the end, was reasonably good (given the setting and all those unrealistically nice young people), but the main symbolic characters, other than the one played by Juliette Binoche, were pretty cliché. I admire Clive Owen for trying, but his drinking was not really convincing and frankly as a former English major, I found him a bit insulting and over the top. Not all – or most of – literature is edifying. Much of it is very dark actually. Binoche had the far easier character – she was made cold by real physical suffering – something no one made much of – no one asked why this great painter was stricken (told you there were very few dark thoughts in here), but Binoche was convincing in her depiction of the pain and frustration of her disease and also quite good at being curt and insulting, but after all, she is French. It is to Schepsi’s discredit that he chose this setting for his debate, but to his credit that the film worked at all and nobody threw any shoes at the screen. I guess we felt sorry for the actors who did a great job considering what they had to work with.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

All this user's reviews

LynSep 28, 2014

Love Clive Owen. Love Juliette Binoche. Would love to see them in a film worthy of their talents. Each makes a valiant effort to enliven the "words vs. picture" premise, though the basic plot is so minuscule it could be covered in a sitcom.Love Clive Owen. Love Juliette Binoche. Would love to see them in a film worthy of their talents. Each makes a valiant effort to enliven the "words vs. picture" premise, though the basic plot is so minuscule it could be covered in a sitcom. For me a big problem is that their two characters are not evenly matched, talentwise. Binoche is presented as a brilliant artist (and she actually did the art in the movie!) while Owen's character mostly quotes others. And as a boozing, tormented writer, his life itself is a literary cliche.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

jgzegerAug 12, 2016

The critics got it right. This movie is a clunker. Juliette Binoche gives a good performance, as always, but that is the only good thing I can say about it. The plot line about an English teachers personal war with an art teacher aboutThe critics got it right. This movie is a clunker. Juliette Binoche gives a good performance, as always, but that is the only good thing I can say about it. The plot line about an English teachers personal war with an art teacher about whether literature or painting is the superior medium is dumb. Furthermore, haven't we seen movies about a self-absorbed alcoholic writer before? Give this movie a miss. It is boring and demands great perseverance to see it through to the end.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews