Never trust a movie with more than four big name actors attached unless it’s a superhero movie. With a cast consisting of Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons, Zoe Saldana, Olivia Wilde, Ben Barnes and Dennis Quaid, “The Words” gave its A-list stars some D-list material to work with. The movie gets bogged down following several overlapping stories, relying too much on the strength of the cast to make it work. “The Words” takes itself too seriously, as if it has some important truths to impart about love, identity and the creative process. The drama is about as swift and compelling as an Arctic glacier — an attractive, artistically-lit glacier, at least, even if some of the editing is a bit heavy-handed. At best, it’s bearable as a date movie with enough pretty faces to get through it.

Grade: D-