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 | tree | guru | 

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Taglines:

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

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:

$24,397,992

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

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

Sinja tells Jack that a tree dies when its leaves fall. Many trees lose their leaves in the fall and go dormant in the winter, without dying.

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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

You Can Make It If You Try
Written by Sly Stone (as Sylvester Stewart)
Performed by Sly and the Family Stone (as Sly & The Family Stone)
Courtesy of Epic Records
By arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment

User Reviews

What's Up With the Negative Reviews??

I cannot understand why someone would rate this so poorly and call it "an abomination" of a film. These people must like to watch depressing or utter brain dead movies, over heart warming, feel good movies.

Granted this film is not perfect, there are definitely some unnecessary and quite stupid scenes, but this does not detract from the overall moral of the story which makes a powerful philosophical point - a point we must all contemplate.

Eddie Murphy is his funny usual self and the rest of the cast do a great job. Also the cinematography is excellent with some remarkable scenes.

I highly recommend this movie for anyone looking for a meaningful movie. A must watch for all who are positive.

Peace.