Seven Pounds

Seven Pounds Once in a while a movie comes along that surprises, enlightens, and bridges the gap between life and artifice. This is one of those movies. It seems innocuous at the beginning, almost generic, as if it could go anywhere, be about anything . . . or nothing. It crosses timelines and uses flashbacks to better effect than anything I have seen since Memento. On the surface, it is about a man who carries a terrible burden and wants desperately to be rid of it, knows he can’t, and is willing to settle for some kind of redemption. It is about atonement.
The screenplay is exceptional in its authentic simplicity, the direction is superb, and the acting in every case is chillingly effective. But the surpassing phenomenon in this film is Will Smith. I cannot remember seeing anyone do more with facial expressions alone—ever. And that includes Diane Lane, who I consider a genius of expressive emotion. His ability to communicate what he is feeling is the only organizing layer in a film that bounces around like a three-year old on sugar, and he makes it enough.
I can’t tell you much about it and not give it away. But it is about a man who is trying, in a flawed and desperate attempt, to help seven people he does not know. He wants to change their lives, using limited resources. He does what he can to ensure that they are good people, regular people, who, with a little help have a good chance of making a difference in the world. It is emotionally charged, because Smith fills his character with passion, desperation, anxiety, guilt and love, all at once, and all on the surface as it is occurring, where we can see it. Not once does he allow himself to be relaxed, to forget whatever it is that haunts him. This is undoubtedly Smiths strongest role and deserves at the very least a nomination for best actor. He is good. Very good. Everyone else in the film is superlative as well.
The story is powerful and unfolds with uncanny and clever clarity. We are given glimpses only, but each one is enough to compel us to keep watching, almost forgetting to even guess where it might be going. In the end, Smith’s character allows us to ask hard questions about life and death, and the meaning and worth of each. It topples long-held beliefs and assumptions about issues close to us all. It tells us there are many ways to make a life meaningful, to say you’re sorry, and that not all of them are as obvious or straight forward as we might hope.
Nita and I both give this our highest recommendation. It is rated PG-13. We cannot remember any profanity at all, and there is one brief love scene with some skin but even Nita didn’t object, and she is famously irrational when it comes to skin on the big screen. It is a complex movie. You may not find it uplifting, but I guarantee you will leave the theater thinking. Oh, and bring a box of tissues. You’ll need them.