12/18/08

Seven Pounds

Let me start by saying that I am a big fan of Will Smith's ("The Pursuit of Happyness" and "Hancock"); I've even forgiven him for "Wild, Wild West." He seems to average two blockbusters a year and has for some time. His latest movie is extremely well done and he has once again proven that he is a fine actor, but...(Yeah, that dreaded "but...") it was soooo maudlin. The foreshadowing was obvious and the plot was predictable. All that remained was to sit there long enough to discover the specifics: the Why and the When.

Smith plays an IRS agent who seems to have a few selected folks in his sights. We aren't sure why, but it always seems to boil down to whether or not each individual is a Good Person. We take that to mean Deserving. Through flashbacks we start to get a glimmer of the tragedy that he's trying to come to grips with, and we also learn that he has a very strong sense of right and wrong.

Rosario Dawson ("Eagle Eye" and "Rent") is a woman who suffers from congestive heart disease, but because of the fine print in the medical insurance world, is not eligible for a heart transplant. Woody Harrelson ("Transsiberian" and "No Country for Old Men") is a blind piano player who also works as a telemarketer selling beef products, despite being a vegan. You also have a volunteer coach for children's sports, a sick little boy and a battered wife. Michael Ealy ("Miracle at St. Anna" and "Never Die Alone") is Smith's furious brother and Barry Pepper ("Flags of Our Fathers" and "We Were Soldiers") is a physician who has been his friend since childhood.

I'm not going to divulge any of the plot. I found it noteworthy that most of the soundtrack is without a musical score. This was a help to ME, because the sound was a tad low, so I struggled to hear much of the dialog, but it takes courage to make a film where you rely on the ACTING to telegraph emotions rather relying on MUSIC to do the job. With Will Smith up there on the screen, you are in good hands.