vchimpanzee I've enjoyed many of Eddie Murphy's movies over the years, and most of them are quite funny. He continues to show talent, but somehow I felt something was missing, even though Jack's attempts to communicate were hilarious. Ultimately, while this isn't as special as many of his earlier efforts, Murphy is pretty good here.I didn't recognize Kerry Washington, and maybe it's just as well. Considering that she is currently regarded as one of the best actresses on TV, I didn't see anything here to support that idea.As Jack's poor assistant Aaron, Clark Duke's performance varies. It may be just me, but I didn't care much for him at first. But he is hilarious trying to act "street" with professional people thinking that's how Jack would talk, and failing miserably at impressing them. And later Aaron is quite good at helping Jack deal with his problems.This is mostly a comedy, but toward the end it has a deeper meaning and an important lesson, making it more than just the silly mess it started out to be.I want to point out two more acting performances, one brief and one more significant. John Witherspoon is wonderful as the father of the President of the United States in "The First Family", and while he is only on screen for a few seconds as a blind man trying to cross the street, he shows just as much talent as on his TV series, in a scene that is one of the movie's funniest.And Ruby Dee as Jack's mother who is losing her memory gives the movie's standout performance. She doesn't say much early on, but later she has a brilliant scene. It's not so much that she is losing her mind. She seems quite normal and intelligent except for the fact she can't comprehend that the man in the room with her is not her husband. I was also impressed by a couple of scenes which I didn't quite understand. Either Jack's young son has gotten older and is telling his father he misses him, or Jack is seeing his younger self. The boy in the scene does quite well.It's not a bad movie, really. Just don't expect anything like Murphy's past successes.

Paul Magne Haakonsen I happened to come across this movie by sheer luck as it was showing on TV, I gave it a chance since I saw it being an Eddie Murphy movie. And I will say that I am very glad that I did so, because this might be the best Eddie Murphy movie ever, or at the very least it is his most touching of movies.The story turned out to be rather interesting and refreshing from the usual movies that Eddie Murphy is in. The story is about a man's fate tied to a tree, and with each word he speaks a leaf falls from the tree, slowly killing it and in turn also endangering the man.I was really surprised at the level of impact the story had, and it mixed drama and comedy together quite well. But near the end of the movie the story really stepped up and into character. And I think some might actually need a tissue at hand at that point.The cast did good jobs with their given roles, and it was nice to see Eddie Murphy unfold his talent in a combination of drama and comedy, proving that he is much more than a goofy laugh, a handful of jokes and one-liners. This is really a movie that made Eddie Murphy shine Again.Regardless of if you are a fan of Eddie Murphy or not, then "A Thousand Words" is definitely worth watching because it is a beautiful story put to film. I am rating it seven out of ten stars and must applaud Eddie Murphy for his performance in this movie.

Python Hyena A Thousand Words (2012): Dir: Brian Robbins / Cast: Eddie Murphy, Kerry Washington, Clarke Duke, Cliff Curtis, Allison Janney: Condemned with negative reviews yet it still manages to speak to me with a message of communication. Eddie Murphy plays a publisher who talks his way through deals until a book guru makes him own up to his promises. A tree suddenly uproots in his backyard in an effect so horrendous that it resembles one of those inflated castles seen at birthday parties. Anyway, with every spoken word a leaf falls to the ground leaving Murphy to make his remaining words count. The concept is appealing with a terrific stage for Murphy who must charade his way through everyday communications. This is highly formula but the ending actually pulls through with a satisfying surprise that speaks louder than words with its spring time appeal. Director Brian Robbins previously made Varsity Blues, and this very well may be his best since. Murphy survives the silent gestures but Kerry Washington as his wife is standard fare with her complaining for his time and the need for a bigger house to raise their kid. Cliff Curtis as the book guru is a complete idiot. Why this curse pursues Murphy is not explained and Curtis is no road map on the matter. Clark Duke as Murphy's assistant is the one ambitious supporting player trying to communicate unsuccessfully for Murphy while saving him from himself. Allison Janney also makes an appearance and reminds us that she was a scene stealer in other films. Great message regarding the words we speak that uplift as oppose to descend to the ground. Score: 6 / 10

taemin407 I would recommend this movie to anyone, really. I hesitated at first when my friend recommended this to me, I thought it would be only another empty laugh comedies, like Identity Thief (yeah, sorry).I gave ten out of ten, because movies like this are quite rare, giving great moral value and wisdom, meanwhile made us laughing our ass off. Eddie Murphy is so lovable, conjoined with his shy assistant who is quite cute. This movie really taught me, it is more important to listen first and understand the circumstances, rather than assuming and then spitting out meaningless words.