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

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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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Audience Member

No. Not a good one. If you need an Eddie Murphy fix watch something else

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

07/26/25

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Ryland C

I have never seen a movie that critics gave a 0% on that has a very creative premise. Seriously, do critics not know what art or creativity is? (I’m sure they do and that is kind of a bit far to say) I’m just shocked that a movie as creative as a Thousand Words is would get the most insane Rotten Tomatoes score ever. If it was a least a 50% or more then that wouldn’t be that bad because a 0% to a film like this is crazy and wild! And maybe a huge hot take. In fact, I’ve seen nothing but positive reviews of this movie on YouTube so that’s proofs I’m not the only one that likes it. I know none of this has anything to do with the actual movie itself but I’m just saying that I was NOT expecting the critics to give it 0%. I definitely side with the audience members on this. Plus, as an audience member myself, it makes complete sense why I like this film.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/01/25

Full Review

Stephen C

Funny in 1 hour and 31 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG-13 for Language, Dialogue, Sexual Situations and Some Drug-Related Humor!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $18,400,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/24/25

Full Review

DennisFeinsteinCEO

This was good. Eddie always delivers and there's a great cast around him as well... Funny, witty, great story 👌

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/24/25

Full Review

Jason J

I was moved to tears. I don't think this film gets the credit it deserves for the insightfully heart-felt moral it carries underneath the occasional dull and comedically forced performance. I caught it on TV today and I think it deserves a second watch by everyone without expecting a laughs-per-minute feature. This is an incredibly touching tale about expression, and the way people take words for granted with the time they spend on this earth. I highly recommend people seeing this again with a different perspective. The film has a subtle (Charles) "Dickens"-esque quality (Christmas Carol) and, there are chuckle-worthy scenes throughout. "A Thousand Words" has an incredibly touching message and it deserves recognition and praise.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/31/25

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Audience Member

It's alright for a one time watch...

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/24/25

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: Saturn Films, Paramount Pictures International, Work After Midnight 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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