Review: ‘Seven Pounds’

Travis:

‘Seven Pounds’ is the newest collaboration between actor Will Smith and director Gabriele Muccino, who last worked together on ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’. Will Smith is a much better actor than he’s given credit for, due largely in part (I’m sure) to the fact that until recently, his films were usually big budget action and/or action/comedy/buddy movies. I’m not the first one to say this and I’m sure I won’t be the last with the Oscar buzz season quickly approaching, but Will Smith deserves a nomination for this role, even if he doesn’t win.

Smith plays Ben Thomas, an intelligent and generous man of mystery is ‘Seven Pounds’ who is setting up something big, we just don’t know what it is. Neither does anyone else in the movie, except for a very close knit group of seven people with whom Ben Thomas is working and they aren’t spilling the beans. We determine fairly early in the movie that Ben Thomas is harboring a dark secret, but the film is structured in a way that keeps us from guessing what that secret is until much later in the film.

‘Seven Pounds’ is both well-written and very well-acted, with Rosario Dawson’s convincing performance as Emily Posa, a dying woman who is alone and scared. Even Woody Harrelson, despite the relatively small role as Ezra Turner, dishes up some quality acting as a blind pianist with a heart of gold. Barry Pepper plays Ben’s best friend and closest confidant in ensuring that Ben’s scheme goes through without a hitch. The premise of the movie is that Ben is on a mission of some kind and it’s a mission of good.

The story is a compelling one as Ben appears to be very selective of who he helps, as though he’s putting his “candidates” through a strict interview and application process. While the film manages to retain it’s secret quite well, the mystery is a bit fragile. As a result, I can’t disclose as much about the film as I would like to for fear of ruining the movie. One plot element I can talk about is the romance that unexpectedly evolves between Ben and Emily, which plays out beautifully between a man with secrets and a woman with nothing to lose. Their scenes together are heart-felt and heart-breaking at the same time. Oh, and Emily has a Great Dane, which is awesome because that’s one of my favorite breeds. Interestingly, even the dog has a small but significant metaphorical role in the story.

The only element of ‘Seven Pounds’ that I can even begin to consider a fault (and really it’s not a fault as much as a setback for some viewers) is the structure and editing of the film. In my opinion, these elements were accomplished brilliantly, but for some viewers this will prove difficult to get past while watching the movie and piecing the story together. I do recommend everyone try and see this film, but offer an encouraging “heads up” to any movie-goers who found films like ‘Memento’ difficult to keep up with.

[Overall: 4.25 stars out of 5]

Melissa:

I can safely say that there is only one Will Smith movie that I do not like (Independence Day is not as cool as it once was! Still, he was good in it.) That being said I knew that this would be a good film, but not that it would tug at my heart strings so much.

Warning… SPOILERS!

Seven Pounds tells the story of Ben Thomas (Will Smith), an IRS agent with a need to help people that are truely good, but with medical problems out. He is determined to forever change the lives of seven people that he deems worthy. How he will truely help them we do not learn until the end of the film. Seven people for the seven lives that he took by being careless on the road. One of which was his fiance. Having fallen into a deep depression, it is now his life mission to save seven lives. One for each one that he took so that he can clear his slate. Using his access from his IRS background, he tracks down people that he feels worthy of his help. Among them are Connie Tempos (Elpidia Carrillo), a house wife who is being severely abused by her boyfriend and no where to run with her two children, Ezra Turner (Woody Harrelson), a blind man with the gift of music, and Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson), a woman with heart failure and a rare blood type in need of a heart transplant.

Ben keeps to himself, never letting anyone know any information about him, including Emily, even though romance seems to blossom. He only lets a small amount out while telling her a story.

Now, I won’t say how he does it, but he makes sure that the people that he deemed to be good are saved, born again with new life. This movie will have you in tears though!

My only complaint is that the beginning is a little too slow. Actually it was a bit boring at first, but the rest of the movie makes up for it.

Rosario Dawson was outstanding. Her portrayal of Emily made you look past the sickness and into the person that she was. I believe that this is her best role yet. One that can put her easily into lead roles with the big name, A-List actors.

As for Will Smith, he could redo Glitter and make it a good movie! Anything he touches turns to gold.

A must see… but bring some tissues!

[Overall: 4.5 stars out of 5]

Ram Man:

An I.R.S. agent with a heart that wants to give back to the people. No it’s not science fiction, it’s the basis of the new film ‘Seven Pounds’. The team that brought us ‘The Pursuit Of Happiness’, Will Smith & Gabriele Muccino, are back together to spin the tale of Ben Thomas, a grief stricken agent from the Internal Revenue Service that has in his power to change the lives of seven people.

We first meet Ben Thomas (Smith) alone in a hotel room, calling in his own suicide. WOW! What a way to kick off a film. ‘Seven Pounds’ then takes you back to the begining to show you the journey it took Thomas to get to that point. Ben was happily married and living in a great place on the beach. In a flash, it is all taken away. So now he sets forth on a “pay it forward” type mission to chnge the lives of seven individuals he deems worthy. Two of his high profile clients are Emily,  an artist with a failing heart (Rosario Dawson) and Ezra Turner (Woody Harrelson)  a blind call center employee and piano teacher.   Thomas using his IRS credentials talks his way into these peoples lives to learn about them and judge if they are worthy of his “gift”. Thomas learns that Ezra is a truely kind person and has been able to “look past” his blindness and isn’t resentful of it. The only negative I can say about ‘Seven Pounds’ is Woody Harrelson isn’t in the film long enough.   The central relationship of the film is between Emily and Ben. Emily is an artist who runs her own printing company out of her garage. That was until she found out her heart was failing. Emily’s biggest hurdle is she has a rare blood type making a transplant virtualy impossible. Ben learns all of this and falls for Emily. He begins to do   repairs around her house including fixing her antique printing presses.

By the end of the film you soon discover what “gifts” Thomas was reffering to and you will have chills run down your spine. The end of the film flashes you through the events that lead Ben Thomas on his journey that eventually has him taking his own life.

Will Smith hangs up the action superstar hat and shows the world he is an ACTOR! Rosario Dawson provides real balance with an eqaully stunning performance as a woman without a future but that doesn’t stop her. ‘Seven Pounds’ is a truely uplifting film and one of Will Smith’s best. The sad thing about it, ‘Seven Pounds’ is falling on deaf ears when it comes to the awards. I encourage you to go see ‘Seven Pounds’ and see for yourself. In a season of such fine films, Will Smith and ‘Seven Pounds’ can stand tall.

[Overall: 4.75 stars out of 5]

Jeremy:

Just for the record, I am going to try hard not to spoil anything about ‘Seven Pounds’. I wouldn’t exactly call the ending of the film a twist ending, not in the Shyamalan sense of the phrase, anyway, but the film is definitely building towards something. What the film is building towards is not hard to figure out. You should have the ending all figured out by the halfway point at the latest. This doesn’t hold the film back from telling a tremendously powerful story and being an overall emotional roller coaster that never disappoints.

Will Smith plays Ben Thomas, an IRS agent who mysteriously begins observing people. There’s Ezra Turner (Woody Harrelson), a blind phone operator. There’s Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson), a woman who has a failing heart. There are more who are revealed through the course of the film. Ben is observing these people to see, he says, if they are “deserving†. Who is Ben Thomas? Is he an angel? Is he a man seeking redemption for some kind of past indiscretion? Dozens of other questions are raised in the early moments of ‘Seven Pounds’.

Director Gabriele Muccino (‘The Pursuit of Happyness’) and first-time screenwriter, Grant Nieporte, answer these questions with an amazing confidence. They move the story back and forth between the different characters giftedly. The core of the film is Ben’s relationship, which gets romantic as the film progresses, with Emily, but the secondary characters are never short-changed. Everyone in the film gets equal amount of time to shine. The love story at the center of the film never feels forced, either. The writing, directing, and the way Smith and Dawson perform their respective parts makes the love story feel genuine and organic.

There are moments in the film, particularly in the final 30 minutes when the mystery is being revealed, where the film tries a little too hard to play on your emotions. It also wears its message on its sleeve, grinding the point of the story into you relentlessly. This is something Muccino did from start to finish in ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’, and it was almost to that film’s detriment. He’s matured as a filmmaker, but the sentimental manipulation still rears its ugly head a couple of times.

Smith gives an incredible performance throughout he the film. He is playing this character that bears an immense self-hatred that stems from his past, and Smith splashes this sense of abhorrence across his face. Even in the scenes where Ben is wooing Emily, and the two should naturally be happy, Smith has this way of exhibiting the awareness of the character’s depression. Smith’s career has him jumping back and forth between the Hollywood blockbusters and these heartfelt dramas, and the actor gracefully performs in both with equal precision. With ‘Seven Pounds’, he gives one of the best performances of his entire career.

Dawson holds her own against Smith’s commanding performance. She gives Emily an intelligence that makes love stories such as this work wonders. Emily is just as intrigued with Ben’s past as we are, and she, too, falls under his charismatic spell. Don’t take Emily’s burgeoning affection for Ben as a lack of astuteness. She’s just as human as the rest of us, and, even though she doesn’t unravel the mystery surrounding Ben doesn’t mean she isn’t paying attention. Dawson plays the hell out of her role here, and there are times in the film where she feels like a co-lead instead of the supporting love interest.

A little has to be discussed about this film’s ending. Without revealing anything plot-related, I will say that Ben’s mystery is not all that difficult to figure out. We know well before it is revealed to us what Ben is doing, why he is doing it, and we get a pretty good sense of what Ben’s past sins are. This is not a hindrance with the film. In fact, knowing where the film is going well before it gets there raises the emotional levels exponentially. The power that you feel from knowing what Ben is doing and why he is doing it is one of the best elements of ‘Seven Pounds’, a profound and affecting film where everyone involved, particularly Will Smith, are at the top of their game.

[Overall: 4.5 stars out of 5]