A Thousand Words (2012)

After stretching the truth on a deal with a spiritual guru, literary agent Jack McCall finds a Bodhi tree on his property. Its appearance holds a valuable lesson on the consequences of every word he speaks.

Director:

Brian Robbins

Writer:

Steve Koren

Stars:

Eddie Murphy, Cliff Curtis, Kerry Washington

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eddie Murphy	...	Jack McCall
Kerry Washington	...	Caroline McCall
Emanuel Ragsdale	...	Tyler McCall
Jill Basey	...	Woman in Starbucks
Greg Collins	...	Construction Worker
Robert LeQuang	...	Starbucks Customer
Michael G. Wilkinson	...	Starbucks Customer
Lyndsey Nelson	...	Starbucks Customer
Michael Cody Gilbert	...	Starbucks Customer
Lou Saliba	...	Shrink
John Gatins	...	Valet
Clark Duke	...	Aaron Wiseberger
Cliff Curtis	...	Dr. Sinja
Mitchell Fink	...	Male Agent
Edi Patterson	...	Young Female Agent

Storyline

Jack McCall, played by Eddie Murphy, finds an unusual tree in his yard after an encounter with a spiritual guru. After discovering that with each word he speaks, a leaf drops off of the tree, Jack refuses to speak at all, as doing so will keep the tree, and him, alive. However, his work, marriage, and friendships are all affected by his choice. Can Jack figure out an alternative method of survival? Or will he simply have to live the rest of his life to the fullest?

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Plot Keywords:

liar | supernatural power | psychotronic film | movie flop | slimehouse | 

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Taglines:

This March, make every word count.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual situations including dialogue, language and some drug-related humor

Did You Know?

Trivia

After a disastrous US opening, the UK cinema release was canceled. The film was released direct-to-video in the UK and several European countries.

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Goofs

The cameraman is reflected in Jack's bird-dropped car.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jack McCall: My name is Jack McCall. If you can hear me, what you're listening to is not the sound of my voice. It's the sound of my inner voice, the one inside my head. I'd like to talk to you, but I can't. Because if I say just one more sentence out loud... I'll die.

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Connections

Referenced in Cinematic Excrement: Battleship (2015)

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Soundtracks

Viva Tijuana
Written by Juan Jose Almaguer
Performed by Mariachi Monumental de America
Courtesy of Monumental de America Productions

User Reviews

Eddie Murphy still makes me laugh...even in something like A Thousand Words

I've been an Eddie Murphy fan since I first saw him on "Saturday Night Live" back in 1980. I've laughed at most of his stuff on TV and movies most of that time. I haven't seen everything he's done but what I've seen I've mostly enjoyed. So it is that I indeed enjoyed this knowing many of the things he does and says in this movie can be quite either silly or stupid but what can I say, I still find him very funny. And Clark Duke who plays his assistant also got plenty of laughs from me especially when he does his version of a street smart person. I also found Kerry Washington appealing as his wife and Ruby Dee as his mother nicely playing someone who seems to live in the past since she keeps mistaking her son for her since-abandoned husband. I thought Allison Janney was wasted as his boss, however. Oh, and I also loved the comic chemistry between him and Jack McBrayer as a Starbucks employee. In summary, A Thousand Words is no great shakes, but it was still entertaining enough for me.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 March 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Thousand Words

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,176,280, 11 March 2012

Gross USA:

$18,450,127

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$22,044,277

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks, Saturn Films, Work After Midnight Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1