The Words is the cinematic equivalent of 1990s fashion. By that, I mean it has layers. None of them are plaid, acid wash denim, grungy, or brightly colored. But there are layers, three distinct ones to be exact.

The Words tells a story within a story within a story. Its greatest interest and most runtime goes to the middle of those layers. It involves Rory Jansen (Bradley Cooper), an aspiring writer who is having trouble getting published. Rory's been at it for years, hoping to support his wife Dora (Zoë Saldana) and even accepting a lowly messenger position at a publishing company as the bottom rung of the ladder he desperately wants to climb. Still, he has to sheepishly turn to his factory-owning father (a brief J.K. Simmons) to make ends meet.

While coping with unanimous rejection, Rory stumbles upon a manuscript tucked away in a recently-acquired second-hand portfolio. Blown away, he transcribes the evidently unpublished novel verbatim, not even changing punctuation or misspellings. A romance set against post-World War II France, the story moves Dora as well as the first publisher (Željko Ivanek) to whom Rory shows it. The book is soon published as The Window Tears and in-store marketing materials declare Rory "the finest storyteller of his generation."

Rory is in fact the protagonist of a book by esteemed author Clay Hammond (Dennis Quaid), who reads portions of it to a large, captive audience. Daniella (Olivia Wilde), a Columbia grad student in attendance, takes great interest in Hammond and pleads to hear more of the story.

Rory's deception comes to light after an old man (a scraggly, aged Jeremy Irons) confronts him about his plagiarism and sheds light on the story's personal significance to him. Its writing many years ago got the Old Man (played as a young man by Prince Caspian's Ben Barnes) through great personal tragedy and its subsequent disappearance tore apart his love and drained him of creativity. Now, Rory must weigh his options and consider the consequences to confessing the bizarre discovery that renders his exalted debut a dubious one.

An unlikely directing debut and writing follow-up for Tron: Legacy story men Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, The Words is full of ambition, both on its own accord and in the fictional novelists it depicts. The Words has good ideas and a decent sense of how to present them in a compelling manner. The layered approach lends easy weight to the proceedings and allows at least brief portions to be narrated in the rich voice of Jeremy Irons (which doesn't lose much in his suitable American accent). Without that design, the primary story might well feel slight, familiar, or overwrought. The framework it is placed within, with Quaid as a Harrison Ford-esque authority and Wilde as his doe-eyed admirer, is the film's least interesting layer. Still, it eases the expectations of the contrived core and adds a meta quality to a postmodern production consumed with the power and nature of authorship and with the publishing world's resistance to letting first-time writers in.

Whether or not thirtysomethings Klugman (nephew of Jack Klugman and an occasional actor himself) and Sternthal are writing from experience, their tale struck a chord with some in-demand actors, like their friend Bradley Cooper, a potential Oscar nominee this year for Silver Linings Playbook who also takes an executive producer credit here.

The Words resonated much less with critics, who panned it to a degree unusual for a literate drama (with Rotten Tomatoes scores around 20%). And the film added some damaging evidence to the ongoing case of Cooper's commercial appeal, which outside the two Hangover movies and Limitless has been quite limited. The Words grossed a measly $11.5 million, which even on its small $6 million budget was unacceptably low considering its wide release in 2,800 theaters. The $4.75 M opening weekend was the 22nd weakest showing ever for a film in 2,500+ theaters, although to give that some perspective, two subsequent fall bombs (Won't Back Down and Fun Size) have already knocked it down that ignoble chart.

Nonetheless, those who saw the movie didn't hate it, as evidenced by its "B" CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences and respectable 6.8 current rating on IMDb. Timed to win consideration from last-minute shoppers, CBS Films' distribution partner Sony Pictures Home Entertainment brought The Words to DVD and Blu-ray on Christmas Eve, with both editions presenting the film in its PG-13 theatrical cut and an unrated "Extended Special Edition."

The extended cut runs five and a half minutes longer than the theatrical cut. Included in that difference is a more ambiguous ending (attached to at least some European releases of the film) that places more emphasis on Quaid's author.

DVD Details 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen Dolby Digital 5.1 (English) Subtitles: English, English for Hearing Impaired, Spanish Not Closed Captioned; Extras Subtitled in English Release Date: December 24, 2012 Suggested Retail Price: $30.99 Single-sided, dual-layered disc (DVD-9) Black Keepcase Also available on Blu-ray ($35.99 SRP) and Amazon Instant Video

VIDEO and AUDIO

While this DVD is not troubled in any unique way, even a new movie handled by the most consistently superb studio technically seems to lack sharpness and vivid colors in standard definition. The 1.85:1 transfer is okay and seamless branching ensures that compression isn't excessive. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is standard, but sufficient.

BONUS FEATURES, MENUS, PACKAGING and DESIGN

The DVD includes just two short on-disc extras. "Unabridged: A Look Behind the Scenes of The Words" (8:30) discusses the film's eleven-year journey to be made. Interviews with the cast, writers/directors, and producers complement numerous clips and a tiny bit of behind-the-scenes footage. The featurette also touches upon having Montreal stand in for 1940s France.

"A Gentleman's Agreement" (1:45) tells about the long friendship between Bradley Cooper and the writers/directors, a friendship that ultimately helped this movie get made.

Strangely, the retail DVD version includes no trailers at the start of the disc or from the menu, not even for The Words.

Apparently, the Blu-ray edition of The Words adds two exclusive shorts -- "Clay and Daniella" and "The Young Man and Celia" -- each running just barely over a minute long.

The scored main menu plays clips in rectangles of various sizes and ratios. The silent submenus uphold the same design without sound, score, or animation.

An insert within the plain black keepcase, whose spine art resembles the right side of a book, provides the final bonus feature: your unique code for using UltraViolet to download or stream a complementary version of the film.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

The commercial failure of The Words is a lot easier to understand than its critical drubbing. This is essentially a low-budget independent movie given a wide theatrical release on the basis of its A-list leading man. It is more likely to win over mainstream moviegoers than those drawn to indie inventiveness. Still, without a strong hook or the flair of someone like Charlie Kaufman, neither of those audiences is likely to find this film without a personal recommendation.

I can comfortably give it a mild recommendation. It's definitely not essential viewing, but it is a film far more substantial and enjoyable than its ice cold reception suggested. Sony's DVD is fine, but unremarkable.

Buy The Words from Amazon.com: DVD / Blu-ray / Instant Video