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Craig Younkin
Movie Review
Seven Pounds
By Craig Younkin Published December 23, 2008
US Release: December 19, 2008
Directed by: Gabriele Muccino
Starring: Will Smith , Rosario Dawson , Woody Harrelson , Barry Pepper
PG-13 for thematic material, some disturbing content and a scene of sensuality.
Running Time: 123 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $69,951,824
Directed by: Gabriele Muccino
Starring: Will Smith , Rosario Dawson , Woody Harrelson , Barry Pepper
PG-13 for thematic material, some disturbing content and a scene of sensuality.
Running Time: 123 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $69,951,824
B-
If only more of the plot was allowed to breathe, Seven Pounds would have been among the truly great films of this year.
“Seven Pounds” is another of Will Smith’s attempts at turning to serious acting and again the guy is deserving of praise. He gives another brave performance where he sheds the lovable and charismatic appeal to be more painful and shocking. Unfortunately his choice in the movie may be the reason why he’s shut out of major awards buzz again this year though. “Seven Pounds” offers up a great role for him but the movie, despite being fascinating for its first hour or so, also gets frustratingly less worthy of its high caliber plot and soon just dissolves into heavy-handed sentimentality.
Smith plays Ben Thomas, an IRS agent who begins the film by saying “It took God seven days to create the world, and it only took me seven seconds to shatter mine.” Flashbacks of a car accident or him enjoying his beach house with his wife are spliced throughout the film. He is a more broken man now but also more determined to make life a little easier for seven people down on their luck. One is Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson), a woman with a congenital heart defect that he promises in some way to get on the hospital donors list. Just the more he gets closer to her, the more in love he becomes. During all this Ben has also moved out of the beach house and into a crappy little apartment.
Who is Ben Thomas other than a man with a tragic past? He’s an asshole when we first see him talking on the phone with another prospect (Woody Harrelson), yet he seems to be a hospital guardian angel as well, forcing the staff to give an old woman a bath, giving people blood transfusions and bone morrow, and even giving a poor family his beach house. What eats away at him so much that he is willing to test and give people things? The mystery is solid as well as heartbreaking and director Gabriele Muccino, who also directed Smith in “Pursuit of Happyness," gives the plot its soul and tension.
Just as we move deeper into Ben’s plan and to its conclusion, the movie gets a little murkier and questions should be raised that never really do. Did Ben try other avenues before arriving at his conclusion? How did he convince his friend (Barry Pepper) to assist him in it? Why does he decide to get so close to Emily and not to the six other people? How does he think they’ll feel after his conclusion? It presents Ben’s dilemma as if he has no other choice but to really convey that to an audience, I feel more explanation is required. “Seven Pounds” wants to be taken as self-important seriousness but instead its meaning gets lost along the way and it feels like just another mindless tear-jerker at the end. The worst part is it's self-importance cause there really is nothing worse than watching an empty movie that thinks it's great. It’s like the film-equivalent of being an asshole.
Smith really keeps this movie afloat though, showing he isn’t afraid to move into even darker territory. He still has his nice smile but he also portrays a bruised sadness, a brooding anger, and moments of real uneasiness around people. His work with Rosario Dawson is near perfect, as is she. The romance becomes a big set-piece of the second half and even though I wish the film spread its focus around a little more, I treasured the time between Smith and Dawson and thought the two showed fantastic chemistry together. She’s vulnerable, honest, and heartbreaking and proves to be a fantastic romantic match. If only more of the plot was allowed to breathe as well as the romance does, “Seven Pounds” would have been among the truly great films of this year.
Smith plays Ben Thomas, an IRS agent who begins the film by saying “It took God seven days to create the world, and it only took me seven seconds to shatter mine.” Flashbacks of a car accident or him enjoying his beach house with his wife are spliced throughout the film. He is a more broken man now but also more determined to make life a little easier for seven people down on their luck. One is Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson), a woman with a congenital heart defect that he promises in some way to get on the hospital donors list. Just the more he gets closer to her, the more in love he becomes. During all this Ben has also moved out of the beach house and into a crappy little apartment.
Who is Ben Thomas other than a man with a tragic past? He’s an asshole when we first see him talking on the phone with another prospect (Woody Harrelson), yet he seems to be a hospital guardian angel as well, forcing the staff to give an old woman a bath, giving people blood transfusions and bone morrow, and even giving a poor family his beach house. What eats away at him so much that he is willing to test and give people things? The mystery is solid as well as heartbreaking and director Gabriele Muccino, who also directed Smith in “Pursuit of Happyness," gives the plot its soul and tension.
Just as we move deeper into Ben’s plan and to its conclusion, the movie gets a little murkier and questions should be raised that never really do. Did Ben try other avenues before arriving at his conclusion? How did he convince his friend (Barry Pepper) to assist him in it? Why does he decide to get so close to Emily and not to the six other people? How does he think they’ll feel after his conclusion? It presents Ben’s dilemma as if he has no other choice but to really convey that to an audience, I feel more explanation is required. “Seven Pounds” wants to be taken as self-important seriousness but instead its meaning gets lost along the way and it feels like just another mindless tear-jerker at the end. The worst part is it's self-importance cause there really is nothing worse than watching an empty movie that thinks it's great. It’s like the film-equivalent of being an asshole.
Smith really keeps this movie afloat though, showing he isn’t afraid to move into even darker territory. He still has his nice smile but he also portrays a bruised sadness, a brooding anger, and moments of real uneasiness around people. His work with Rosario Dawson is near perfect, as is she. The romance becomes a big set-piece of the second half and even though I wish the film spread its focus around a little more, I treasured the time between Smith and Dawson and thought the two showed fantastic chemistry together. She’s vulnerable, honest, and heartbreaking and proves to be a fantastic romantic match. If only more of the plot was allowed to breathe as well as the romance does, “Seven Pounds” would have been among the truly great films of this year.
Craig's Grade: B-
Craig's Overall Grading: 340 graded movies
| A | 10.9% | |
| B | 41.8% | |
| C | 31.8% | |
| D | 15.3% | |
| F | 0.3% |
