Fighting Words (2007)
- Starring:
- C. Thomas Howell, Tara D'Agostino, (more)
- Director(s):
- E. Paul Edwards
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R
My RatingTheatrical Release Information | See Details About All Versions
A spitfire coffeehouse poet catches the attention of a conservative publisher, only to find that her attempts to get him to take part in an underground poetry-reading contest mask a much deeper motivation in the feature directorial debut of longtime television writer E. Paul Edwards. To Jake Thompson, poetry is the purest way of expressing his inner rage. Marni Elliot is an attractive publisher who is drawn to Jake's use of words, and convinced that he could take home the top prize at the Los Angeles Poetron -- a competitive poetry contest that has set the underground literary community ablaze. Though Jake at first refuses on the grounds that competition spoils the purity of art, he is intensely drawn to Marni and soon relents after the pair fall into bed together. When Marni reveals to Jake that she is HIV-positive, he quickly breaks the relationship off. As the Poetron draws near and Jake learns that he will be competing against Marni's former lover, however, he comes to realize that he cannot get the publisher out of his mind, and that his sympathy for her condition has helped him to overcome his anger as it transforms him into both a better poet, and a more capable competitor. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 89 mins
Complete Cast:
- C. Thomas Howell - David Settles
- Jeff Stearns - Jake Thompson
- Edward Albert - Marc Neihauser
- Michael Parks - Benny the Heckler
- Dominic Comperatore - Alan Mitzer
- Vanessa Doorman - Shelly
- Joe Restivo - Millhouse
- Tucker Smallwood - Dr. Peters
- Tara D'Agostino - Marni Elliot
- Fred Willard - Longfellow
- Fred Williamson - Gabriel
- Val Lauren - Etch-A-Sketch
- Jen Dede - Lisa
- Dwight Ewell - Leopold
- Amir Talai - Ralphie
- Director(s):
- E. Paul Edwards
- Writer(s):
- E. Paul Edwards
- Producer(s):
- E. Paul Edwards, Alan Roberts
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R(Profanity, Sexual Situations)
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
- Subtitles:
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