Words And Pictures (2014)

An admired published author (Clive Owen) and an internationally renowned painter (Juliette Binoche) teach at an exclusive prep school. Both of them plagued by problems which hamper their ability to do their Art. He is an alcoholic and she has a crippling case of rheumatoid arthritis. When she tells her class that "words are lies", he declares war, challenging her to prove images are more powerful than words. First off, I was relieved that the film backpedals the inspirational teacher bit and concentrates on its two protagonists. It's quite unusual to find a film about two people attracted to each other intellectually and the film is best when it concentrates on the exploratory relationship between these two, their challenging each other on ideas and art. Owen hasn't been this good since CLOSER and he and Binoche have the ability to project intelligence. When Owen spouts off about the greatness of John Updike or Binoche talks about the power of images, they actually sound like they know what they're talking about! Despite their fierce performances, the film can't sustain a narrative worthy of its characters. The students are a bunch of classroom cliches and by the time the two bed each other and the love song plays over them sipping wine, the movie is lost. It's a real pity because Owens' and Binoche's performances deserve better. Still, I'm not about to throw out the baby with the bathwater because the movie takes a wrong turn. Directed by Fred Schepisi (ROXANNE). With Bruce Davison and Amy Brenneman.