《妙笔生花》

Like a bedtime story for adults, much of the film is framed by scenes of popular author Clay Hammond (Dennis Quaid) as he reads excerpts* from his latest best seller, titled “The Words.”

Even with all the complex stories we discover within those pages, and with Quaid’s dramatic baritone* trying to elevate it, the movie still feels like a books-on-tape.

The filmmakers are playing with the old myth* of a Hemingway manuscript lost during a train trip through Spain.

The film unfolds* as stories within stories, rather like Russian nesting dolls*. Hammond’s story is about young writer Rory Jansen (Bradley Cooper) who cannot get his book published.

While on his honeymoon in Paris, Jansen finds a valise* in an antique* shop. Inside, he finds a typescript copy of a short, unpublished novel. It’s the story of a young American and his doomed* romance with a young and beautiful French woman at the end of World War II. Jansen retypes the novel into his own words.

The novel turns out to be a big success. Jansen is suddenly famous. His supportive but somewhat doubtful* father is proud, and his wife’s long-standing faith in his talent is redeemed*.

Then, the true author of the manuscript appears, played by Jeremy Irons. He brings another frame to the narrative, taking us back to Paris after the war to experience the tragic* events that led him to write the story that Jansen has stolen.

The real author is not seeking public vindication* or wealth — he just wants to confront Jansen with the moral consequences* of his crimes. (SD-Agencies)