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?

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

Make every word count.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is Eddie Murphy's third movie with John Witherspoon. They were also in Boomerang (1992) and Vampire in Brooklyn (1995).

---

Goofs

After Jack gets in the elevator with a semi-naked man, a black town car drives off. A boom mic and crew member are reflected in the car's right rear quarter panel.

---

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.

---

Connections

Featured in Bad Movie Beatdown: Review of 2012 (2013)

---

Soundtracks

We All Need Saving
Written and Performed by Jon McLaughlin
Courtesy of The Island Def Jam Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Comedy with a profound message

This film tells a successful but arrogant literary agent who has only a thousand words left to speak before he dies.

I was surprised by how good "A Thousand Words" was. It successfully mixes comedy with a truly profound message. The comedy aspect shows Eddie Murphy's upbeat side, and he even imitates to be a bird. Even if he can be annoying at times in the film, his connection with the dying tree still strikes me as very thought provoking. It is sad that much of his words are wasted, which gives Jack and the viewers a chance to reflect on what is truly important in life. I find this incredibly touching. It's unusual for a comedy to have such a profound message, but "A Thousand Words" does it so well.

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