Movie Review: Seven Pounds

* Warning: Possible movie spoilers alert.

It has been said (by who, I am unsure) that 'He who saves others from trouble is the one who is saved.' In the religious context, I believe it refers to those who help others in order to clean their sins or to receive rewards during Judgment Day. In the more popular concept, I believe it leans more towards people helping others to make up for the mistakes and sins they themselves have made, such as Ben Thomas (played by Will Smith) in Seven Pounds. Speaking of which, it looks as though Will Smith himself has lost seven pounds in the film because his usually-rounder face looks thin and haggard, or perhaps it's just the cinema make-up.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Ben Thomas"][/caption]

A highly depressed IRS tax collector, Ben Thomas is on a quest to drastically change seven peoples' life. However, in the first 5 minutes, you start to seriously doubt that he's a good Samaritan as he starts berating and bullying a blind tele-caller. Then you start to wonder whether he's off his rockers because as soon as the blind tele-caller hangs up, Ben Thomas starts throwing a tantrum and yelling out unrecognized names.

Here's a warning: Seven Pounds is not for the impatient movie-goer. The style the filmmakers used is filled with countless flashbacks (which you wouldn't even know it's a flashback because it's not in sepia/black-&-white or with blurred edges). The time sequence is all wrong, going forward then rewinding to the past for a while then continuing into the present, and this sequence is repeated throughout, possibly driving you crazy. So if you're not into the 'artsy wartsy' (as my friend calls it) type of movie, it's best if you get someone to just tell you the story-line.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="182" caption="Seven Pounds"][/caption]

Also, it's not for the impatient movie-goer because the pace is slow. About 20 minutes into the show, you can kind of guess for yourself that Ben Thomas is trying to make up for some bad thing he did, but it takes another hour before you will truly know why he's doing this personal mission. The thing is, I believe there are many unnecessary scenes that would have cut this 2-hour movie into 1 hour and 30 minutes. There are also scenes that I believe need more 'meat', which would have made the movie more interesting and less slow-paced.

There is a romantic plot in Seven Pounds as Ben Thomas finds himself falling for one of the seven people he's helping (yes, it's a girl :P ). Personally, I find the love story too heavy and too dragging but there are sweet scenes involved that show just how far Ben Thomas would go for someone who used to be a total stranger. Oh, there's a mild sex scene too so try not to bring your underaged children to watch this movie.

Another reason not to bring any underaged children is the ending. As touching as it is (made me spill a lone tear :cry: ), it is somewhat disturbing to those who are sensitive to death. Anyone who has lost someone to suicide is advised to keep an open mind. It is at the ending that you get the complete full picture of who Ben Thomas really is and what he's trying to do and why. And you will discover that nothing is what it seems and that Ben Thomas is actually not Ben Thomas. Hence the movie tagline: Seven Names. Seven Strangers. One Secret.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="239" caption="Ezra Turner 'seeing' Ben Thomas for the first time."][/caption]

Although Rosario Dawson (who plays Emily Posa in Seven Pounds) shared major movie time with Will Smith, I don't find her as memorable as the blind tele-caller, Ezra Turner (played by Woody Harrelson) and the pitiful old lady at the nursing home, Inez (played by the often-forgotten Fiona Hale).

While there are some viewers and critics who rave about this movie, I, while finding it interesting and insightful, believe that it could have been better. I respect what Ben Thomas did, though, even if I don't quite like how he did it. Seven Pounds make you wonder whether such a person exists and it makes you realize that everybody can help make the world a better place, even a suicidal depressed tax agent who keeps a box jellyfish as a pet. 8O

The ending would have worked perfectly if only the filmmakers did their research properly, instead the goofs made a few scenes improbable. As usual, please read the goofs only AFTER seeing the movie as the IMDB goofs contain spoilers.

"It is within my power to drastically change his cirumstances, but I don't want to give that man a gift he doesn't deserve."