Seven Pounds (2008) | REVIEW

Will Smith is one of those rare people that have a special quality to them in no matter what they do. He made good music, he's a great actor, and from what we know he's a really fun person to be around. When I heard that he and director Gabriele Muccino (Pursuit Of Happyness) were going to reunite to make Seven Pounds, I was really happy. The ending of Pursuit Of Happyness was spoilt for me because of some Reader's Digest article that they had to write about it and how it was based on a true story, but nevertheless, I still enjoyed it.

Then I heard a lot of bad reviews about Seven Pounds and how it isn't like Pursuit Of Happyness and how it's not at all what they expected. I was disappointed, but I have learnt to always, always check out a flick for myself before judging it prematurely or based solely on the opinions of others. Not because I don't trust them, but because expectations vary and the liking of a movie is ultimately subjective. Here's what I think of the film.

This Flick Is About....
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An IRS agent named Ben Thomas (Will Smith) with a fateful secret embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers. He goes all-out to hand pick these strangers and tests them in various ways, watches them, just to see if they are deserving of the extraordinary sacrifices and gifts that he's willing to give and do for them.
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What shines out in most Will Smith movies is Will Smith's ability to absorb his character and become that role. He may look the same across different films, but the character and approach is totally different. Smith has a charm unlike any other actor and I think the reason why he's the highest paid in Hollywood is because he's highly bankable. He is watchable by not only adults but teens, tweens, boys, girls, youngsters, middle-agers, husbands, wives, grandmas, and grandpas. Everyone can enjoy a Will Smith movie. It's also normally always family friendly with little swearing, hardly any nudity, and sensual (not sexual) scenes. There's more lovemaking than all-out rampant "doggy-style-ing". I'm not judging other flicks that incorporate this in their movies *cough cough horror flicks cough cough*, but what I'm pointing out is that his films have quality pouring out of their pores. Movies with Will Smith sell because of Will Smith and how it's normally always a great flick. And most of the time it isn't some lame no-brainer that he's in; it's always a deep story with all the aspects of a beautiful film and anything anyone from any age group could ask for. So there was Hancock, big deal, it's just his way of having fun!

In Seven Pounds, Will Smith portrays Ben Thomas, an IRS agent who "tests" people to see if they deserve the "gifts" that he has in store for them. And when you see these "gifts" it will touch you emotionally and provoke your thoughts, believe me. And since we're on the topic of acting chops, Rosario Dawson does an A+ job portraying Emily Posa as well. And a notable mention is Woody Harrelson as the blind customer service representative, Ezra.

On to the story. To me it's an awesome story. It's suspenseful, it's deep, and it shows genuine human emotion. A lot of people think that acting is the equivalent of lying and therefore there is no real human emotion involved. That's probably true when it comes to a lot of movies. And that's also why a selected few make it to the top and stay there as evergreen titles. They show real human emotion even if it's acted out. That isn't easy to do yet it's all over the place in Seven Pounds. It's in a lot of scenes and indirectly tells you what Smith's character is going through.

What about the soundtrack? Soundtrack's great. It's a shame when movies integrate music that doesn't belong to the visuals but this flick does nicely with the score. Very soothing at times, and at times very sentimental. It helps carry the feelings from the characters across and to the audience. I couldn't help but notice some elements of the Troy soundtrack in there but that's not saying that it didn't work. It worked perfectly.

So why didn't Seven Pounds make bank? Why didn't it become a major hit? Why didn't people like it?

Here's the problem, I think. Many people tend to expect the wrong things from the wrong movies. It's the reason why people complain beyond need about Transformers being an absolute no-brainer. I ask, what else can you expect? What else would work in the same scenario? When studios declared that Seven Pounds would be the re-teaming of Will Smith and Gabriele Muccino, many expected another Pursuit Of Happyness, with the underdog story and the similar movie flow. The idea is to let go of those expectations. Not the expectations of seeing a good movie, but the expectations of seeing the same movie. Watching the film without relating anything to Pursuit Of Happyness might help because it clearly isn't a sequel in any form. Don't expect Ali from I Am Legend and don't expect Pursuit Of Happyness from Seven Pounds, get what I mean? Trust me, doing that makes one enjoy a movie much more!

Make no mistake, I'm not asking anyone to accept certain loads of crap that come out of Hollywood. Spider-Man 3? X-Men 3? Ghost Rider? These are movies that were, how do you say, &&^%^ed-up. Like I said, always expect a movie to be decent. People shouldn't settle for crap because that's why studios keep making them, but don't expect actors to always play their roles in a certain way or directors to direct in a certain way.

That being said, Seven Pounds does have a downside; the way it's taken. It uses an unorthodox style of filmmaking and editing because it's one of those "we see one drastic scene in the beginning and then a whole flashback begins leading up to that scene again" type of movies. It doesn't follow the traditional timeline. There's the "now" and then some flashbacks. The problem arises when the movie moves without a point for a while. We see Ben Thomas doing all these things but we don't know why. And that's okay for a while but then it starts to get not only confusing but also a bit frustrating. There should always be a destination point. People should know where the movie is headed. Yes, the motives are revealed step by step throughout the flick and by the end you understand the entire picture perfectly. What I'm saying is, the revelations start to show after a little too long.

There is, of course, another problem. Seven Pounds aims very much towards the heart at the expense of the mind. What may seem emotional, heart-warming, and touching at first might turn out to be not too logical when analyzed. There are a lot of loopholes when it comes to thorough explanations and "do-ability" of certain deeds. You'd have to watch it to understand what I'm talking about. There are dozens of good questions that could be asked about the movie's plot and how he got this person to do this and how "that would never fly in the real world", and the people behind the movie would probably never be able to answer. So take note, skip the logic in some parts. Enjoy it for what it is; emotions and drama.

All in all, Seven Pounds is a wonderful movie. I've always loved Will Smith's films and this one's no different. Seven Pounds has a great story, great actors, and all the emotion you expect from a movie such as this. My opinion? Go watch it whenever you get a chance. It might not be Ali or Pursuit Of Happyness, but it's good nonetheless.
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Wrap : I give Seven Pounds a 3.8 out of 5.0. The movie only falls short in terms of audience understanding of the movie's build-up and the logic that's misplaced in certain agendas. Otherwise, it's a great movie, I don't care what "the critics" or "good moviegoers" have to say. My principle has always been that a film should be enjoyed thoroughly before it's dissected into bits. Watch it, enjoy it, and maybe analyze it later. Don't look for the slightest faults in real time when it's playing on the screen during your first viewing. How can anyone enjoy anything that way, seriously?

Till' next time, all!