A Thousand Words

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A Thousand Words

PG-13

Released Mar 9, 2012

1h 31m

Comedy

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57 Reviews

46%

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50,000+ Ratings

Jack McCall (Eddie Murphy) is a selfish literary agent whose fast-talking ways allow him to close any deal. His next target is New Age guru Dr. Sinja (Cliff Curtis), but the savvy doctor sees right through Jack. A magical tree appears in Jack's yard, and, according to Dr. Sinja, the tree and Jack are connected; every time Jack says a word, a leaf falls from the tree. When the last leaf drops, Jack will die. With just a thousand leaves left, Jack must learn to curb his speech or he's a goner.

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Critics Consensus

Dated jokes (A Thousand Words was shot in 2008) and removing Eddie Murphy's voice -- his greatest comedic asset -- dooms this painful mess from the start.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

A disastrous comedy at times, with a few unexpected touching moments sprinkled throughout, A Thousand Words fails to come together like it should, and becomes a forgettable mess.

Rated: C-

Sep 8, 2017

Full Review

Kimberley Jones

Austin Chronicle

The idea of Murphy, that famously motormouthed actor, suddenly tongue-tied is not a punchy enough punch line to carry a whole film.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 16, 2012

Full Review

Nell Minow

Beliefnet

It isn't a horrible movie, at least not in comparison to Norbit from the same star and director, but it is a dispiritingly dull and cynical one.

Rated: C-

Mar 12, 2012

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

While it's certainly not unwatchable, the mood is rather muddied and the laughs are never big.

Rated: 5/10

Dec 2, 2020

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

One word will do - Sucks.

Rated: 1.0/4.0

Sep 26, 2020

Full Review

Micheal Compton

Bowling Green Daily News

None of it really works though. Instead of garnering laughs it only serves as a painful reminder on how funny Murphy can be when given the right material.

Rated: F

Apr 12, 2019

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Nick R

Who's stupid idea was it to make a movie where Eddie Murphy isn't allowed to talk?

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/14/25

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Nick F

The movie was good it had a great message and a great cast.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/14/25

Full Review

M C

I watched this a while back but just found out about the horrendous rating on here. This is a great movie. Definitely worth the watch and makes you stop and think about your words. Say what’s important. Life is too short.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/14/25

Full Review

Philip O

Honestly I don't get the hate, this movie was very meaningful and one of my favorite movies

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/29/24

Full Review

chittrakorn t

Don't know why people don't like this movie. It is pretty funny

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/16/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Definitely one of Eddie Murphy's best films.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/23/24

Full Review

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Brian Robbins

Director

Eddie Murphy

Jack McCall

Kerry Washington

Caroline McCall

Cliff Curtis

Dr. Sinja

Clark Duke

Aaron Wiseberger

Allison Janney

Samantha Davis

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Synopsis

Jack McCall (Eddie Murphy) is a selfish literary agent whose fast-talking ways allow him to close any deal. His next target is New Age guru Dr. Sinja (Cliff Curtis), but the savvy doctor sees right through Jack. A magical tree appears in Jack's yard, and, according to Dr. Sinja, the tree and Jack are connected; every time Jack says a word, a leaf falls from the tree. When the last leaf drops, Jack will die. With just a thousand leaves left, Jack must learn to curb his speech or he's a goner.

Director: Brian Robbins
Producer: Alain Chabat, Stephanie Danan, Nicolas Cage, Norman Golightly, Brian Robbins, Sharla Sumpter Bridge
Screenwriter: Steve Koren
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Work After Midnight Films, Paramount Pictures International, Saturn Films
Rating: PG-13 (Language|Dialogue|Sexual Situations|Some Drug-Related Humor)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 9, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $18.4M
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Datasat, SDDS, Dolby Digital

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