A film about a lexicographer and a lunatic may not sound like a thrilling trip to the cinema but THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN works its wordy wonder despite its perfunctory title and lofty academic pursuits.

What makes this story of grand glossary glossy is its two lead performers, Mel Gibson as the linguist, James Murray, and Sean Penn as the homicidal logophile, W.C. Minor. Gibson gets to do his Braveheart burr and Penn gets to go nuts.

Based on the worldwide best-selling novel by Simon Winchester, THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN is an extraordinary encyclopedic tale of madness, genius, and obsession about two remarkable men who created history with the writing of the Oxford English Dictionary.

The compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary began in 1857 and was one of the most ambitious, and revolutionary projects ever undertaken.

After initial vehement resistance and opposition from the hallowed halls of academe, the not as yet academically accredited Professor James Murray took on the challenge of creating the most comprehensive dictionary ever compiled, but knew that it would take him and his team over a century to compile all known definitions.

However, by enlisting definitions from people all over the world, the dictionary could be compiled in mere decades.

As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor Murray, discovered that one man, Dr. W.C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand words.

His prolific proficiency brought a special focus on the former American Army surgeon and a shocking truth came to light: Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was a convicted murderer and being held at an asylum for the criminally insane.

An etymological origin story, THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN should play to fans of The Imitation Game and The Social Network, with its story of dogged pursuit despite immeasurable odds, of personal hopes, ambitions and struggles overcoming the status quo, of social progress made at great personal cost, and of history in the making.