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21 Grams
2004
Paul (Sean Penn) has less than a month to live, he's on the waiting list for a heart transplant, and his wife (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is determined to get pregnant with his child before it's too late. Meanwhile, Cristina (Naomi Watts) is a happy mother with a loving husband and two daughters but she loses her family in an .. Read more
| Starring | Sean Penn, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Benicio Del Toro, Naomi Watts |
|---|---|
| Director | Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu |
| Genres | Drama |
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21 Grams
Paul (Sean Penn) has less than a month to live, he's on the waiting list for a heart transplant, and his wife (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is determined to get pregnant with his child before it's too late. Meanwhile, Cristina (Naomi Watts) is a happy mother with a loving husband and two daughters but she loses her family in an instant to an unpredictable accident. Finally, Jack (Benicio Del Toro) is an ex-con and born-again Christian struggling to support his wife and two children while battling his own guilty conscience. When these three parties come together, explosively, they make each other behave in impulsive, violent, and destructive ways. 21 Grams takes the viewer on a jolting journey through sickness, suffering, morality, revenge, and last but not least, the sometimes welcome peace of death.
| Starring | Sean Penn, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Benicio Del Toro, Naomi Watts |
|---|---|
| Director | Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu |
| Studio | MGM ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 5 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | English |
| Released | DVD: 13 Sep 2004 Production year: 2004 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (7)
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Courtney Hunt's Oscar nominated film make's its debut... read more »
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Most helpful member's review
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54 out of 71 people found this review helpful
21 Grams weighs heavy on the mind
This is a brilliant film with superb acting, a strong storyline and is definitely one to be watched. The main drawback is the initial half hour or so, where we find ourselves thrust head-first into the narrative. The editing techniques are a bit over-the-top, jumping between the main characters, showing them at different points in time, and consequently it becomes quite difficult to tell when these events are actually taking place. It really does require a lot of brainpower early on!
I would recommend that, ultimately it is worth the initial effort spent, as everything begins to unfold and come together quite nicely. The acting by Penn, Watts and Del Toro is exceptional, and they certainly are a pivotal reason as to why this film works.
Not one if you?re looking for a bit of light entertainment, but if you?re looking for something that bit heavier, then 21 Grams is the film for you. -
Most recent members' review
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3 out of 5 people found this review helpful
Good, but not great
It is stunningly well acted from everybody involved, but the problem lies in the narrative. Not that its as brain-frying as some think, but because its main purpose is to disguise a fairly dull story - standard Hallmark channel melodrama. The editing device forces you to make the connections and piece the story together but once you do you still have about an hour to sit through. And the rubbish at the end about explaing the title just jars with a movie so grounded.
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News and features
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Frozen River
- 13 Jul 2009
A compelling and original story fashioned from the fabric of social realism, Courtney Hunt’s film is a penetrating character study with a heavyweight central performance. Ray (Melissa Leo) is trying to keep it together, working as many hours as she can get at the local grocery store, trying to get ahead on the mortgage payments to get her kids out of a trailer and into something more permanent. She’s not getting much help in that regard from her husband, a gambling addict who – Read more
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21 Grams
Paul (Sean Penn) has less than a month to live, he's on the waiting list for a heart transplant, and his wife (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is determined to get pregnant with his child before it's too late. Meanwhile, Cristina (Naomi Watts) is a happy mother with a loving husband and two daughters but she ...
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