Huievest
Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.
cricketbat
While interesting at times, this film is intentionally vague and confusing for so long that I lost interest. It's like when someone tells you they have a secret, but refuse to divulge it - and then when they finally do, it doesn't seem to be that big of a deal anymore.
lirb-ballou1
What could require you to give seven pounds of your flesh? What catastrophic situation in your life could make you decide if someone is worthy of your sacrifice? Ben Thomas (Will Smith) is a man dealing with those questions-a tormented man struggling to decide who does or doesn't deserve his gift. Ben disguises himself as an IRS tax auditor, following, and at times stalking, his clients in order to assess their worthiness. In the process, he falls in love with one of his clients, a dying woman named Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson).
Will Smith coproduces this picture and teams up again with director Gabriele Muccino from "The Pursuit of Happiness." Watching this movie, you will be kept in the dark for much of it, wondering where the story is taking you, but hold onto hope-there is resolution in the end. It is hard to describe this movie without giving away the plot, so let's just say that Mr. Muccino takes Grant Nieporte's screenplay, and orchestrates the written word into artfully cinematic scenes where each profound moment leads seamlessly to the next.
Seven pounds is a movie that struggles to define the meaning of a gift. I found the subject matter to be appropriate for the Christmas season. After the it ended, I wasn't left wondering about the details of the movie, but rather I left wondering about the message. As Ben Thomas gave his gifts to those in need, it became apparent that his life was the one, in fact, most in need of healing.
When we think of giving gifts, we think of the joy that goes along with it, and we all have heard that it is better to give than to receive. What if, however, that giving comes from a place of guilt, shame, or obligation? Does that make the giver any less noble, or the recipient any less grateful? These are the questions you will reflect on long after the movie is over. The film sometimes depicts Ben Thomas as something of a saint, but you may conclude otherwise. His gifts to others were certainly incredible, but a saint he is not, for in discovering the true motivation for his gifts, we also discover that this motivation is exactly what makes him more like us-all too human.
