The Words is a 2012 American mystery romantic drama film, written and directed by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal in their directorial debut.

It stars Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Olivia Wilde, Jeremy Irons, Ben Barnes, Dennis Quaid, and Nora Arnezeder.

He begins reading from the book, which is centered on the fictional character Rory Jansen, an aspiring writer who lives in NYC with his girlfriend, Dora.

Rory borrows some money from his father, gets a job as a mail supervisor at a literary agency, and attempts to sell his first novel, which is repeatedly rejected by publishers.

Returning to America and having his book rejected again, Rory finds an old but masterfully written manuscript in the briefcase with a central character named Jack.

At this point, Hammond takes a break from the reading and goes backstage, where he is introduced by his agent to Daniella, a student and amateur writer who wants to interview him.

The second part details Rory's encounter with an old man in Central Park, who reveals himself as the true author of the manuscript, based on his life in Paris.

When he was a young man and stationed in France with the U.S. Army in the final days of World War II, he fell in love with Celia, a French waitress.

Cutler angrily advises against this as it would severely damage both their reputations, and recommends giving the old man a share of the book's profits instead.

[20] Jen Chaney from The Washington Post gave the film 1.5 out of 5 stars, saying it "is a well-acted but narratively limp indie that’s undermined by a failure to connect emotionally with its audience".

[21] Chris Pandolfi from At A Theater Near You praised the film, saying that while its "ambiguity is unlikely to be appreciated by everyone," it "deserves to be structurally, emotionally, and thematically analyzed".