marinkojason Really didn't like this one at all. Very plain boring lead characters. Drawn out with very little dramatic, romantic or comedic entertainment value. There are plenty other of options to pursue before you jump into this one definitely give something else a shot.Even if you enjoy Clive Owen as I usually do in most films I see him in its a tough watch. Definitely depressing you"ve been warned by credits i said out loud well could of done with out that one and you will to unless you're a teacher who can relate to the story i suppose.Its quite difficult to even provide a complete review for a film where so little actually happens I wanted to like this movie going in but instead i suffered through the second half of it and have hopefully reached the line requirements so i no longer have to talk about it good watching.

eyeintrees Firstly, I never watch anything that might be remotely 'romantic comedy'; I loathe the genre. So it was with trepidation that I chose to watch Words and Pictures. Was I going to throw away two hours on drivel served up as 'falling in love' and my hard-earned? Delightfully, no.Perhaps because I'm both a writer and an artist, the concept immediately grabbed me... and for me, the whole premise started a flow of thought that was intriguing. But the movie had to prove itself, and for at least the first twenty minutes I held myself ready to hate it.Carefully blended in a mix of excellent acting, a clever script, a good look and wonderful pacing, this movie hits the mark. Yes, there are some formulas at work but they were 'saved' by actors who knew exactly where to begin and end and where to leave the drama alone.If you're looking for action, the usual slush and froth of rom-com and a Hollywood sex scene that has become all too familiar, you might find this a little slow for you. But if you're all grown up and enjoy wit, charm with a dash or realism, this should delight.

TxMike The conceit of this movie reminds me of the old joke where the various body parts are arguing over which one is most important. Here two very accomplished high school honors teachers, one a published author teaching English and the other an exhibited painter teaching fine art, get into a debate of sorts on whether words or pictures are more important. This results in students getting involved and tasked with developing words and images for the "contest" at school assembly. I think most would conclude that both are important, you can't really have such a contest.Clive Owen is author and English teacher Jack Marcus. The new art teacher is Juliette Binoche as Dina Delsanto. He is a motor mouth in social settings, she seems to want to keep to herself and enjoy silence. They develop an instant friction which, in a fictional story, usually means they will eventually fall in love.As an important aside, Binoche is an accomplished artist in her own life and all the paintings we see for her character Delsanto, and the ones she works on during the movie, all were actually her own works of art. The movie moves a bit slowly in some middle scenes but things pick up near the end and turns out to be a nicely entertaining movie with some good messages.SPOILERS: Each of the featured teachers has serious issues. Marcus is an alcoholic. He always has lunch at school in his car, we observe so that he can drink the vodka in his small thermos. He has been banned from a local restaurant for causing a drunken scene. He is estranged from his college son because of his drinking issues. Delsanto has developed a severe case of RA (rheumatoid arthritis) and uses a cane to get around and has to use special devices to paint. But Marcus falls hard for her, then she for him, his drinking drives a wedge, then he seeks help and vows to give up the booze. As the movie ends he is starting to patch up relationships with both his son and Delsanto.

Paul Tremblay Good news first: the idea and premise for the movie are great: the dichotomy of words and pictures. Fine arts battling against literary arts, which will come on top? Oftentimes in the movie one character or another declares the emotional objectives of art, the aim to making us breathless. So... for a story so imbued with the underlying idea of the overwhelming quality of art, it strangely and ironically falls flat. Why? Hard to tell. One of the reasons, from a scientific point of view is the chemistry between Binoche and Owens, chemistry as explosive as a glass of stale water left in the teachers lounge too long. The budding romance between the two teachers is as mysterious (coming from nowhere) as it is puzzling and pointless. I am still trying to figure out the weird business between Emily and her bullies, really a lost episode without much emotional connections to the rest of the narrative (besides the obvious "image" and "words" that Emily and her nemesis use). Very disappointing film. I heard many senior citizens loved the movie. Can't account for taste.