Stars Bradley Cooper, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, Zoe Saldana, and Jeremy Irons. Directed by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal from their script. Rated PG-13. 96 minutes. Critic’s grade: C+

What’s a struggling writer, with dreams of literary stardom, supposed to do when he accidentally discovers a lost manuscript, a piece of work far superior than anything said writer could or would ever concoct? And what if the same writer, made famous after pretending to be the author of that manuscript, were suddenly forced into meeting the manuscript’s creator?

If “The Words,” co-directed and co-written by newcomers Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, had focused on that story — on the initial struggles in New York City, the romance with Dora (Zoe Soldana), the overnight success, and then the huge ethical conundrum Rory Jansen (Bradley Cooper) must face when he encounters the aging writer (Jeremy Irons) — then the film might not feel so disjointed.

Or maybe “diluted” is the better word, as within that story is another one, narrated by Irons’ character: A young Army man (Ben Barnes, just back from fighting in World War II, awakens to the power of literature, and writing, falls in love with a beautiful French waitress (Nora Arnezeder), and experiences a tragedy. Those events spark a two-week writing jag, but the product of his work — that manuscript — is accidentally left on a train.

And both of those stories are contained within another one, that of an author (Dennis Quaid) who reads the story at a Manhattan reception, where he meets a lovely, literary minded young woman (Olivia Wilde) who comes off as so deeply inquisitive/predatory that it’s hard not to wonder what, exactly, she wants:  Is she recording the conversation, to be be used in an expose and/or supplied to a litigious ex-wife?

Irons is superb as the wronged writer, unwilling to seek any kind of recompense for the injury caused to him: “We all make choices in life — the hard thing is to live with them,” he tells Jansen. Quaid is a bit creepy and creaky, and Cooper may somewhat milquetoast for his role, particularly as a love interest for Saldana’s vivacious character.

In addition to the big ideas — literary authorship, plagiarism — explored here, there are compelling moments focused on artistic ambition, the artistic process, acceptance of responsibilities, understanding of one’s own limitations, and father-son relationships. Not to mention an age-old enigma: Why do good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to good people? “I’m not who I thought I was — and I’m terrified that I never will be,” Jansen confesses at one point.

And yet, structurally, it’s all a bit too messy, and unfinished. The big moments sometimes feel anticlimactic, and the outer shell of the piece, the story about Quaid’s character, seems extraneous, and rather weak. Some of the disparate parts shine, but ultimately it’s a letdown.

A side note: Ernest Hemingway fans may be delighted to see several references to the author, including images of “The Sun Also Rises,” a Hemingway plaque on the side of a Paris building, and an incident in the film pointing directly to one of the most dramatic incidents in the famous author’s early writing life.