"In seven days, God created the world. And in seven seconds, I shattered mine." (Seven Pounds (DVD))

Member Name: Ataraxia

Product:	Seven Pounds (DVD)
Date:	17/05/09 (44 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It'll tug at your heart strings!

Disadvantages: It'll tug at your heart strings!

I'll start by saying that I can't remember another time that I felt quite so emotionally manipulated as I was when watching Seven Pounds (by a film, anyway). My friends tend to complain quite frequently at the overabundance of action movies in my DVD collection, and, in truth, I'm the last person they ever thought would cry at a 'love story'.

But Seven Pounds is a real love story. Not a 'real love story' like The Notebook claimed to be (that was just vomit-inducing), but a journey concerning one man's sacrifice and redemption. It's definitely not a feel-good movie, in the sense that it leaves you feeling complacent, surrounded by a fantasy of sunshine and rainbows; rather, it's filled with genuine passion and so expertly paced that it digs deep into even the most neglected of hearts to find some sentimentality.

Will Smith plays 'Ben Thomas', a mysterious IRS agent, who accidentally killed six strangers and his wife via a car crash, and now feels that he needs to help people to make amends for his actions. The first is blind-meat salesman Ezra Turner (Woody Harrelson), who Ben harasses to find out whether he is as good a man as he first thought. Ben then visits a nursing home and threatens a supervisor for not giving an ill, elderly lady a bath. Ben, also, has the odd meeting with his long term friend Dan (Barry Pepper), in which he constantly tells him to "Stick to the plan." Whatever that means.

But it is when Ben runs into Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson, in a touching performance) that things really become intimate. She is an isolated woman with a serious heart condition, and could die anytime soon if she fails to find a donor. The two become close, but Smith's character displays a certain amount of emotional complexity that we sympathise with him, and want to know more. Seven Pounds is never corny; it's fuelled with an incredible amount of emotionally intensity, which makes you really anticipate the fate of the characters.

Now, for someone who doesn't normally like this sort of movie, there was only ever going to be one man to grab my attention- Will Smith. And, ironically, Seven Pounds doesn't start out as a 'love story' at all. Actually, it's pretty weird: Ben, with no apparent motivation, checks himself into a dirty motel and buys a box jellyfish, and the audience is left wondering what the hell is happening. But after threatening to alienate the audience completely, Seven Pounds soon becomes interesting: Smith's teasing performance as the unpredictable and relentless Ben ranks up there as his best, next to his work in The Pursuit of Happyness, Ali, and Six Degrees of Separation. How his talents have yet to be rewarded with an Oscar is way beyond me.

As I said, Seven Pounds is hardly a movie destined to uplift every one of its viewers. But, I had an inkling that this was going to be a tearjerker, and I certainly proved that point correct- my friends will tell you. So, it's not like I was completely dissatisfied. Far from it.

I consider crying good for the soul.






[Andy Carrington is a Writer, Philosopher and Activist. Visit him at: http://www.andycarrington.co.uk]

Summary: I consider crying good for the soul.