Seven Pounds gave us one of the best trailers of 2008. All that was shown were cryptic images of Will Smith’s character, “Ben”, helping various people but the motive could not be so easily deciphered. And thank goodness for that. I am so tired of seeing movie trailers that compact the full 120 minutes of a film into a 2 minute preview. In my fantasy world, movie trailers are supposed to pique enough interest into the film to entice you to give it a gander. But these studios today believe that giving you everything will get you into the multiplex.


Will Smith & Rosario Dawson

Hoo boy…..there I go ranting about how creatively bankrupt Hollywood marketing is again.

Sorry. Let’s get back to the main subject at hand.

The movie opens with Ben Thomas (Will Smith) making a call to 911 reporting that someone has committed suicide…..himself. Then we are shuffled to a different time and place where Ben is carrying out his duties as an IRS agent; visiting people on his list to determine whether they are eligible to have their outstanding debts put on hold or not. Ben seems driven to help these specific people in some very unorthodox ways.

Ben really crosses the line when he starts building on a romantic vibe with Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson). On the surface what Ben is doing looks wholesome but there’s something happening behind the scenes. Underneath this philanthropy there is a deeper and decidedly darker secret that Ben must keep the lid on or else all his good works will be for naught.


Rosario Dawson as Emily Posa

I was impressed by Seven Pounds but it sure is a pain in the neck to review because one slip of the tongue (or finger in this case) and I’ve spoiled the ending. So if this review seems too brief please forgive me but it’s all in the hopes of preserving a valuable cinematic secret from the masses so they can experience it for themselves in the theater.

Or you could just read the Wikipedia file.

Surprisingly, Seven Pounds is not based on a book. It’s an original script by Grant Nieporte. The story moves like a Tarantino flick where you start with the present then rewind back to the past working your way forward until you get back to that opening scene with Ben chatting with emergency services. We are also fed breadcrumbs of something that happened to Ben that involved him and his wife, Sarah (Robinne Lee). Did she leave him? Did he leave her? Did she die? Is he a ghost? Sorry, can’t say but I can tell you that the time flipping is done correctly so the plot is easy to grasp and by the end of the tale everything will make sense.

The performances were outstanding. That Will Smith, I tell ya, can he actually do wrong? Seems like even in his flops he comes out smelling like a rose. In Seven Pounds, he leans more towards the serious and dramatic side but that crazy charm of his still shines through. Smith is an outstanding leading man even without the snazzy CGI effects that usually accompany his performances.

My eyes were way more fixed on Rosario Dawson who plays “Emily Posa”. Emily has a degenerative heart condition so she can’t run or walk her huge horse of a dog without exerting a lot of energy. But Emily is no damsel. She’s living on her own trying to cope with the disease and her medical bills. Dawson's aura is so fiery that every character she plays is ablaze with charisma, spunk and independence. It’s no spoiler that she forms a strong bond with Ben but their relationship gives Seven Pounds a unexpectedly pleasant romantic tone. And I mean real romance. Not that syrupy, cavity inducing, processed crud that “romcoms” force down our throats.


Ezra (W. Harrelson) Gets An Unexpected Dinner Guest

Supporting characters include Barry Pepper as Ben’s best bud. They have some kind of arrangement but that, too, is shrouded in mystery until the big finish. I was glad to see Michael Ealy as Ben’s brother. Ealy recently gave a memorable turn in Miracle At St. Anna and I highly recommend that you also check him out in the telepic There Eyes Were Watching God. I’ve never seen Elpidia Carrillo before but her depiction of the physically abused mother, “Connie”, was very solid. Woody Harrelson is featured as blind customer service agent / pianist “Ezra Turner”. Harrelson doesn’t have a huge role in the film but his character is pivotal to the plot, if you know what I mean.


Ben (W. Smith): Guardian Angel or Crazy Devil?

December 2008 has brought a sudden deluge of major dramatic films with charged performances and stories that are truly worth the admission price. Seven Pounds gave me some hope that Hollywood is not totally devoid of originality or completely dependent upon demographics. That there are writers out there still churning out thought provoking stories like this makes me very excited about what’s on the horizon at the box office. For now, take a chance on Seven Pounds.
www.sevenpounds.com