The team behind “The Pursuit of Happyness” is together again. Director Gabriele Muccino and Will Smith join creative forces to produce a movie about the harsher times in one’s life. Ben Thomas (Smith) lives a life of grief and regret, but this has set him on a path to help others. And although the ending doesn’t fully live up to the buzz, “Seven Pounds” is very worthy of a trip to the box office.
The Good:
- Will Smith – Some background information first – Similar to “Happyness”, “Pounds” is about a man’s life that isn’t at its most wonderful. Different from “Happyness” are the struggles Ben Thomas (Smith) is going through – sorrow and remorse. Smith demonstrates his acting talents in two ways: 1) in his range (going from compassion to brink of suicide to unexpected love – are all in there) and 2) in his ability to portray these extreme emotions in a genuine way – a skill highly noticed during “Happyness.”
- The Plot – The story doesn’t stick to conventions and the events that occur clearly don’t happen as they would in real life. But it’s believable in a way that makes it seem as if it could be one of those random happy stories on the Today show.
- The Characters – It’s annoying when movie characters are always the same. Luckily, that’s not the case with the roles in “Pounds.” Each has a unique place within Thomas’ plan and they aren’t rewritten caricatures of roles we’ve already seen. Sometimes they or the situation is odd, but it works. The best is Rosario Dawson who is definitely not the average ingénue.
The Bad:
- Timing/Pace/Length – “Seven Pounds” is a little long and drags in a spot or two.
- The Jellyfish – Smith’s character has a jellyfish and it, like Dawson, is an important character. But my question is “Why?” This aspect of the movie really bothered me for some reason. The jellyfish doesn’t make sense, not even metaphorically.
In The End:
It doesn’t quite reach the bar set by “The Pursuit of Happyness,” but “Seven Pounds” is likable and different from other “good deed” themed films. And although audiences are left mostly in the dark about what exactly is going on through most of the movie, the director reveals enough along the way so that no one is completely lost. It’s a nice film about giving to others (literally) that’ll have you leaving the theater with a smile.
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