It’s no sin to turn a comedy into a flick with a family-oriented message — that is, unless it is done in all the wrong ways. In “A Thousand Words,” Eddie Murphy mimes and grimaces his way through the sappy film, making it harder to laugh at his performance and easier to leave the theater.

Since graduating from Ithaca College, Bill Carraro ’81 has produced hit films such as “The Adjustment Bureau,” “The Golden Compass,” “Stay” and “Frequency.”