Seven Pounds…

Seven Pounds Review

12 Jan 2009

Critics rating: 2 stars out of 5

Reviewed by Tom Charity , LOVEFiLM

No, it's not the price of your ticket. Actually, even after seeing Will Smith's new movie I'm not entirely sure what the title refers to. And even if I knew, I probably couldn't tell you.

See, Seven Pounds is an enigma wrapped around a secret. It’s not a suspense thriller, but if you knew the sting in the tail there really wouldn’t be much to keep you occupied while this slow, turgid tearjerker unfolds.

All of which makes it a little tricky to write about, but I’ll keep spoilers to a minimum.

Seven Pounds

Starring Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, Madison Pettis

Director Gabriele Muccino

Genres Drama

Run time 118 mins Certificate 12

Cast details

Will Smith

Born: 25 Sep 1968
Wynnefield, West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,

Top rated films	View all
The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air - Season 4 (1993)
Enemy Of The State - Blu-ray (1998)
Men In Black 3 (2011)

Smith plays Ben Thomas. He’s a suicidal tax auditor, apparently, though he also seems to be a rogue agent, operating without any oversight that we can see. He picks his own targets and picks on them too. Putting in a phone call to customer service telephonist Ezra Turner (Woody Harrelson) Ben comes on like a real asshole. Will Smith making fun of a blind man? Whatever next?

He talks tough to a doctor who runs a care home for the elderly. Then persuades a welfare officer to give him the address of a Latin woman trapped in an abusive relationship (Elpida Carillo – remember her from Salvador and Predator?). Who is this guy and what game is he running?

Seven Pounds: Will Smith, Woody Harrelson

Things don’t get much clearer when he turns his attention to Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson), a woman who's getting in debt trying to meet her medical bills and waiting on a heart transplant operation. She may have just months to live, but does that mean she doesn’t need to file her taxes? Ben decides to cut her some slack and a relationship starts to develop, albeit stalled by the bewildering mixed signals he keeps giving out.

Director Gabriele Muccino directed Smith in The Pursuit Of Happyness, and if you found that movie manipulative you ain’t seen nothing yet. Flashbacks tease out Ben’s motivation, but quite what he has in mind emerges late in the day… At which point many people will be calling for a reality check.

I have to confess I’d checked out well before then – in part because I had a strong hunch where it was heading (correctly as it turned out), and in part because Muccino keeps hitting bum notes. Earnest and trite, the movie feels painfully contrived and airless. There’s none of the dirty realism that served as such an effective counterpoint to the fairytale elements in Pursuit of Happyness.

Smith feels cruelly constrained by the necessity of keeping his character so ambiguous.

Usually so personable on screen, Smith feels cruelly constrained by the necessity of keeping his character so ambiguous. His instinct seems to be to play God with other people’s lives, but at the same time to keep them at arm’s length. We can’t quite trust Ben, so it becomes impossible to warm to him.

If the film has a saving grace it’s Rosario Dawson, an actress who seems more alive than anyone else on screen, no matter that her character has a terminal heart condition.

But even Dawson can’t redeem a parable built out of treacle, sanctimoniousness and sentimental pop tunes.

Seven Pounds Reviews

Critic's review of Seven Pounds
View all (1)
- Itâs a distinctly frazzled Will Smith we see at the start of this teasing drama. Calling emergency services, he looks... read more on Time Out
- 51385
- - Trevor Johnston
  - Time Out
  - 19 Dec 2008 at 02:20
Most helpful member's review of Seven Pounds
View all members' reviews (847)
- - 411
  - 10
  29 year old male, and i admit i cryed
  
  I felt compelled to write this review after just watching this film, and i'm struggling to focus on the screen with all this water in my eyes.
  
  I ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 688097
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  - a customer
  - Birmingham
  - 14 Jan 2009 at 23:35
Most recent members' reviews of Seven Pounds
View all members' reviews (847)
- - 1
  - 0
  Totally Inspirational.
  
  Right from the opening scene, I got the feeling this was going to be another chick flick type movie that was best reserved for the girlfriend to watch with a ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1089659
- - GBO
  - 2 reviews
  - 07 Feb 2012 at 00:17
- - 1
  - 0
  Worth it
  
  Brilliant movie, got confused at the start but after watching for 10mins I got it,
  
  I was told it would be sad and so I prepared myself,I tried ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1083674
- - a customer
  - 20 Jan 2012 at 10:35
- - 1
  - 0
  Intriquing & a little confusing but worth it
  
  Intriquing film and a little confusing but worth perservering with. As the film progressed became more hooked and the twist at the end was not the norm. Not the... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1081734
- - Maj304
  - 4 reviews
  - 14 Jan 2012 at 13:51
View all members' reviews (847)

- - 411
  - 10
  29 year old male, and i admit i cryed
  
  I felt compelled to write this review after just watching this film, and i'm struggling to focus on the screen with all this water in my eyes.
  
  I ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 688097
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  - a customer
  - Birmingham
  - 14 Jan 2009 at 23:35
- - 67
  - 17
  Booooring
  
  THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS | Show review anywayHide
  
  The premise is so ridiculous and the lack of any attempt to make it believable renders the film completely pointless. I am prepared to suspend my disbelief so... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 691712
- - Lin6663
  - 14 reviews
  - Altrincham
  - 20 Jan 2009 at 16:10
- - 36
  - 2
  is will smith becoming a better actor with age?
  
  will smith is not just a comedy act, he can also be very serious and is a very good actor. in this drama he plays a man who will change the lives of seven ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 596485
- - a customer
  - england
  - 11 Jul 2008 at 14:50
- - 21
  - 3
  Wonderful
  
  I've not seen a film as beautiful as this in a while. Love it.
  
  Report this review
- 675814
- - a customer
  - Edinburgh
  - 21 Dec 2008 at 01:50
- - 20
  - 0
  Obviously I was watching a different film to the critics..
  
  After reading through a number of other reviews for this film, I was anticipating a flop from Will Smith... But from start to finish, I was engaged. With ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 693230
- - a customer
  - Nottingham
  - 22 Jan 2009 at 16:51
- - 17
  - 0
  Depth, and thought-provoking - excellent
  
  This is an excellent movie and definitely worth a watch - if you like something a little sombre, and thought provoking that is. It’s more a Sunday movie ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 689621
- - MoJo123
  - 1 review
  - London
  - 17 Jan 2009 at 14:02
- - 14
  - 2
  Breath-taking!
  
  I went to see this movie the night it came out, not because the trailer compelled me to see it, or the storyline amazed me, but simply because i am a big Will ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 713385
- - kaleylane
  - 1 review
  - Hinckley
  - 21 Feb 2009 at 19:02
- - 14
  - 4
  Absolutely Rubbish
  
  I like Will Smith in all his other films , but this must the most stupid film that has ever been made and will damage his reputation. The story is so unreal; ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 776064
- - a customer
  - Harrow
  - 25 Jun 2009 at 23:20
- - 11
  - 1
  Interesting
  
  This movie is a little slow and although I/we did enjoy it in the end. I have to say both I and my partner very nearly walked out at around the 40 min mark.read more »
  
  Report this review
- 692497
- - a customer
  - Birmingham
  - 21 Jan 2009 at 15:42
- - 11
  - 4
  BORING
  
  ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
  
  Report this review
- 765099
- - a customer
  - Aberdeen
  - 01 Jun 2009 at 23:01

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Critic's review
- Itâs a distinctly frazzled Will Smith we see at the start of this teasing drama. Calling emergency services, he looks... read more on Time Out
- 51385
- - Trevor Johnston
  - Time Out
  - 19 Dec 2008 at 02:20

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