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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thousand_words_poster.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[TagLine Make every word count]].]]

''A Thousand Words'' is a 2012 ([[TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment filmed in 2008]]) comedy-drama film starring Creator/EddieMurphy and directed by Brian Robbins.

Loquacious literary agent Jack [=McCall=] (Murphy) uses his voice to strike book deals for his company all the while neglecting his wife Caroline (Creator/KerryWashington) and baby son Tyler. Jack becomes intrigued with the work of Dr. Sinja (Creator/CliffCurtis), whose teachings and philosophies have attracted immense crowds of people. During a discussion with Sinja at one of his many spiritual relaxation classes about striking a possible deal, Jack pricks his finger on a Bodhi tree. Upon returning home, he finds the same kind of tree has sprouted in his backyard, one with many, many leaves.

Jack calls Sinja over to his house to ask him why he put the tree here, but Sinja states that he had nothing to do with it. It isn't before long Sinja discovers with each word [=McCall=] speaks, a leaf drops off of the tree, Jack refuses to speak at all, as doing so will keep the tree, and him, alive. However, his work, marriage and friendships are all affected by his choice. Jack has his assistant Aaron Wiseberger (Creator/ClarkDuke) keep track of how many leaves remain. Can Jack figure out an alternative method of survival? Or will he simply have to live the rest of his life to the fullest?

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!!''A Thousand Words'' provides examples of:

* AccidentalMisnaming: Jack's senile mother Annie keeps calling him by her recently deceased husband's name Raymond.
* ActorAllusion: Famous French actor and director Creator/AlainChabat shares a scene with Eddie Murphy, playing the French Businessman. Both men have worked on ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'', the former dubbing for the titular character in French and the latter as the talking donkey.
* AwardBaitSong: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7CONH-Ip3M Out Loud]] by Mary Mary.
* BlackBraAndPanties: Caroline wears leather ones for a romantic rendezvous with Jack that falls apart due to his silence.
* DisappearedDad: Jack had one. He has a lot of issues he had to resolve throughout the film.
%%* DrunkWithPower: Aaron at the end, when he's promoted to Jack's job.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: At one point a drunken Jack tries to do this singing along to one of his favorite songs. Also counts as being DrivenToSuicide. Later, when down to his last sentence he tires to make peace with his mother and wife, while also doing favors and giving short word goodbyes to the parking valet who’s always been trying to sell him a book and the barista he's been doing charades for in order to get orders.
* HereWeGoAgain: At the end, after becoming a materialistic agent himself, Aaron gets a tree of his own (even smaller than Jack's) and gives an OhCrap exclamation (although since no leaves are seen falling off, it might have just been a prank).
* HitPoints: The leaves on the tree are treated like these InUniverse for Jack. For each word he speaks, one leaf falls off the tree, and if the tree is reduced to no leaves, Jack dies.
* IShouldWriteABookAboutThis: At the end, Jack is shown bringing the book to his own publishing company to work out a deal.
%%* {{Jerkass}}: Jack, at first.
%%* LikeFatherLikeSon: Jack believed that he was just like his father.
* MistakenConfession: Jack's stony silence the first day he learns that talking brings him closer to death causes his assistant Aaron to babble on thinking Jack is mad first about him missing work recently, then about kissing Caroline under the mistletoe at a Christmas party, then about having sex with the secretary in Jack's office while their [[{{YIFF}} wearing animal costumes]] all of which Jack gives incredulous expressions at.
* ScamReligion: Jack openly admits thinking Sinja is running one but he turns out to be sincere.
* ShoutOut: When Jack uses talking dolls to talk on the phone, [[Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial E.T.]], a Franchise/{{Terminator}} doll and a doll with the likeness of Film/AustinPowers are shown.
* WritersCannotDoMath: When Jack demonstrates the leaves falling when he talks, he says the sentence "It's not a coincidence, you idiot!" out of frustration for the latter thinking so. Aaron then says "You just lost five more" when leaves fall after Jack says this, even though Jack's sentence was six words long, not five.
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