Seven Pounds

Rarely has a movie gone to such lengths to keep a potential audience from knowing anything. The entire cast said they had no idea what was going on when they read the script, the previews admit nothing and even the title is almost indecipherable, so giving a synopsis is going to be a bit difficult, but I shall try to do my best.

Ben Thomas(Will Smith) is an I.R.S. agent who is on a mission that is very clear to him and only to him. Well, it is also clear to his childhood friend, but because it is perfectly clear to them, there is no need for exposition. Ben is not interested in anyone else knowing anything, so we get nothing. Ben is interested in finding out if people are good people, when no one is watching. He is genuinely nice, except when he is berating a blind man or when something does not go the right way. Then he is a nasty, mean and cold human being. He is haunted by something, but we don't know what haunts him. He is selfless, or is he? He meets Emily(Rosario Dawson) and it takes him back. He has not been kind to himself and she is trying to change that, except she is dying. Ben is kind to her and they strike up an odd friendship. Ben's brother is looking for him because Ben may have stolen something from him, but maybe he didn't. Ben gives his house away to a woman with an abusive husband, just because he wants to help, but why? He has a deadly jellyfish, but why?

I have read all kinds of reviews saying that your enjoyment of the movie will depend on what you think of the pay off, I am not sure if that is entirely true, but maybe I am just blinded by my love for Will Smith. And in Seven Pounds, Smith is a whole different person. Yes, he has some of the charm he always has, but he is awkward on screen. He is a man holding everything back, but trying to show a smile and it is not the usual Will Smith smile we see, it is a painful, hiding the truth smile. Also, I knew exactly what was happening less than 15 minutes in and it did not deter me from anything. I am not sure it is obvious what is going on, but for some reason I figured it out. I did not always know the how or why, but I knew what was going on, but when the moment came it was still emotionally resonant. Smith and Dawson have a wonderful chemistry and Dawson does some great work as a woman trying to live her life, but is dying and will never be able to run because of her congestive heart failure. I like that the pacing of the movie slowed way down when this pair came together because for a while what we saw was a series of short confusing scenes and then the movie slows down and gets comfortable as we watch this friendship blossom and we want it to succeed. We don't want whatever is going to happen to actually happen because we know whatever it is it is not good.

The jellyfish has been the topic of many a review as being distracting, but as a symbol the thing is very clear. Ben narrates to us that when he first saw that kind of jellyfish his dead said it was the most deadly creature on Earth, but all Ben saw was how beautiful it was. The Jellyfish then becomes a symbol for life. Life is dangerous but life is beautiful and every time they cut to the jellyfish that is what we are being reminded of. Seven Pounds is exploring the dichotomy of the beauty and danger of life. I am not sure how people did not get that because it is spelled out for us, but maybe people were trying to hard to figure out the rest of the movie. The Jellyfish is a pretty gorgeous creature in the movie and I enjoyed the cutaway shots to it swimming in Ben's aquarium thing.

I am not sure how we are supposed to feel when the movie is over, but I was sad and kind of felt depressed. I think there are elements of something uplifting and maybe even life affirming to be found in the movie, but I was sad when it was over. I wanted to go home, hug someone and eat ice cream. That is not to say I did not enjoy it because I did, but I enjoyed the movie as a whole, not how it made me feel. I enjoyed the performances, the interesting story and the cool camera focusing tricks, but it is a downer, a big downer, not that movies have to be uppers and I admire this movie for having the guts to follow through on a tough premise and I admire how difficult it was to market such a movie, when you are trying to keep it all hidden. I am not sure it is necessary to keep it hidden, but like I said earlier, Ben Thomas knows what he is doing and he is not going to tell anyone so how could we know. I will say this, the opening 2 minutes of the movie will grab your attention and make you sit up and say, "What the hell" and as someone who has seen far too many movies, that is saying something.

Final Grade: B