Seven Pounds Review [2]

Posted by Jeremy Thomas on 12.31.2008

Sorry, emotional manipulation isn't my thing

Directed by: Gabriele Muccino
Written by: Grant Nieporte

Starring:
Will Smith - Ben Thomas
Rosario Dawson - Emily Posa
Woody Harrelson - Ezra Turner
Michael Ealy - Ben's Brother
Barry Pepper - Dan



Running Time: 118 minutes
Rated PG-13 for thematic material, some disturbing content and a scene of sensuality

Will Smith is a man in Hollywood that can seemingly do no wrong. Sure, his movies may not always be critically acclaimed, but in terms of financial reliability he’s a man who always gets it done. Of the seventeen movies he’s appeared in a non-cameo role in, twelve have made over $100 million domestically including his last eight; the last one not to was Ali seven years ago. Since then, he’s built quite the blockbuster resume between action (Bad Boyz II and Hancock), comedy (Men in Black II and Hitch), science fiction (I Am Legend and I, Robot) and even drama. That last genre was a shocking success, as he took the true-life based feel-good film The Pursuit of Happyness and far exceeded expectations. The film—starring himself, Thandie Newton, Beau Bridges and his son Jaden Smith—grossed over $300 million worldwide and earned him his second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. With two born blockbusters following it was only natural that the incredibly successful actor went back to the dramatic well, and in order to do so he reunited with his Happyness director Gabriele Muccino. The end result was Seven Pounds, a film that has been released almost two years to the date after the duo’s first collaboration in order to garner attention come awards time.

The film stars Smith as Ben Thomas, an IRS agent who is suicidal due to an event that transpired in his recent past. He’s so ridden with guilt that he seeks to use the powers of his job in order to help him change the lives of people…but only if they deserve it. Some, he decides, do, such as Emily Posa (Dawson), a woman suffered from a congenital heart defect; others don’t, including the administrator of a retirement home who doesn’t properly care for his wards. Along the way, it becomes quickly obvious that Ben has more on his mind then giving these people tax breaks, and seven in particular (including Emily) he decides, for reasons of his own, to truly change their lives…as long as he can prove to himself they deserve it.

If you’ve caught the marketing for Seven Pounds, you’re likely to be unsure about what the plot actually is. Little has been revealed in the trailers, the commercials, the posters or even interviews with Smith and the rest of the cast and crew. This has been a deliberate choice by the studio and the film-makers, as Muccino has specifically stated that he didn’t want the audience to know what Ben is up to. Even once you sit down to watch the movie, to say that the script by first-timer Grant Nieporte takes its time in revealing itself is an understatement. Nieporte has created a movie with a gimmick to it, and in order to maintain interest throughout the film it is crucial that the gimmick not reveal itself until the end of the movie. Unfortunately this also requires the ending to be one of those infamous “twist endings” we’ve all come to dislike. The main problem with this twist is that it makes the script deliberately lead the audience on a path of emotional manipulation. This creates a very dishonest feel to the movie, and one that is belied by the utterly ridiculous and frankly silly climax. The final scene, which for lack of spoilers I can only say involves two characters meeting, is truly bizarre and frankly sort of disturbing. While the path to get there is full of characterization, a spot in which Nieporte does a good job, the climax ruins any chances of redemption the film had. In terms of the film’s greatest failing, the arrow must fly unfailingly toward the script.

In the hands of any other creative team, this film would have been a complete and utter disaster. Luckily, director Muccino does everything he can to make the build as pleasant as can be. The film starts off a little bit slow but manages to find an even pace after a couple dicey moments early on, and Muccino guides it along with a steady hand. Working with cinematographer Philippe Le Sourd—who shot the equally attractive and sappy A Good Year—Muccino manages to create a very attractive film to look at. Even the score by Angelo Milli manages to bring an emotional depth to the film, one that pulls us in and helps us to care before it all falls apart.

The greatest strength of this film is without a doubt the acting. Smith gives a performance that easily matches that of Chris Gardner in the aforementioned Happyness, and the only thing that will limit his ability to get nominated will be the overall film quality as a whole. As Ben, Smith creates a performance that is far more honest and deep then the movie itself, finding periods of intense and irrational anger at times and deep sadness at others, but always of a man trying to create something good from the life he’s led and is guilt-stricken by. It comes across as very real in a pained way, and even when he’s smiling you can see the sadness buried deep in his expression. He’s helped along by incredible performances from Rosario Dawson and Woody Harrelson, who are incredibly effective as the heart defective Emily and blind Ezra, respectively. Dawson has always had a very engaging, warm quality about her, and she puts it out quite skillfully to make Emily a character we can really care about. Meanwhile Harrelson, who’s had a surprisingly productive year, does the same with Ezra. Barry Pepper does well as Ben’s best friend, while Michael Ealy seems somewhat lost as Ben’s brother in one of the few acting miscues here.

Ultimately, Seven Pounds is a very difficult movie to review. Putting aside the challenge of reviewing such a deliberatively mysterious film without revealing too much, the question becomes thus: can one criticize a movie for being emotionally manipulative? Certainly, all movies—and really, all works of art—play upon our emotions. There is a large difference between evoking emotion and twisting it, however. A film like Schindler’s List or Pursuit of Happyness evokes emotion; Seven Pounds toys with it and twists it, and after the experience one feels cheated. This is the final test that Pounds must be put through and, unfortunately for Smith and Muccino, it fails, resulting in a noble but fruitless effort.

The 411: Despite admirable acting by both him and his castmates, Will Smith finally finds a true failure of a film in Seven Pounds. The emotionally manipulative film is crippled by an unrealistic script that hides its true intent from the audience until the last possible moment, creating a very dishonest sort of movie. As much as Smith, Dawson, Harrelson and the crew try, they are unable to get past that one crushing weakness, and the end result is a truly and excruciatingly disappointing film.

Final Score:  5.0   [ Not So Good ]