Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Jack McCall is a fast-talking literary agent, who can close any deal, any time, any way. He has set his sights on New Age guru Dr. Sinja for his own selfish purposes. But Dr. Sinja is on to him, and Jack’s life comes unglued after a magical Bodhi tree mysteriously appears in his backyard. With every word Jack speaks, a leaf falls from the tree and he realizes that when the last leaf falls, both he and the tree are toast. Words have never failed Jack McCall, but now he’s got to stop talking and conjure up some outrageous ways to communicate or he’s a goner.
A Thousand Words has a mildly inventive fantasy-comedy premise — a fast-talking liar forced into silence by a magical tree — but squanders much of its potential with formulaic execution and predictable redemption arc beats. Eddie Murphy brings some physical comedy energy to the role, but the material rarely challenges him or his co-stars. The cinematography is serviceable but unremarkable network-movie fare with no visual distinction. The novelty of the central conceit earns mild credit, though similar 'liar forced to be honest' comedies (Liar Liar being the obvious predecessor) diminish its originality. The ending resolves in the most telegraphed, sentiment-by-numbers fashion, failing to capitalize on the emotional stakes the film tries to build.