WORDS AND PICTURES

An art instructor and an English teacher form a rivalry that ends up with a competition at their school in which students decide whether words or pictures are more important.

Very uneven and, at times, very contrived. The two main stars (Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche) do an adequate job but the dialogue is frequently forced and artificial. The overall message of the movie is pretty obvious – but even that is presented with such a lack of subtlety that its power is completely undermined. Overall lame and unbelievable. Wait for the DVD if you feel you must see it.

**1/2