Academy Award® nominee Will Smith reunites with the directors and producers of The Pursuit of Happiness for the new drama Seven Pounds. Smith stars as Ben Thomas, an IRS agent with a fateful secret who embarks on a personal journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers. Rosario Dawson also stars. Michael Ealy, Barry Pepper and Woody Harrelson are too-sparingly featured.
The problem with this film is that it starts out slowly and, mid-way through the story, the viewer gets a chance to see what's going on. From the beginning, there is mystery and suspense, but the director fails to build the tension necessary to hold the viewer on the edge of his or her seat. There are seven strangers--but, with the exception of Rosario Dawson (who, like Will Smith, gives a riveting performance), the viewer never really gets to to know them. Because the script is not fully developed, the viewer never gets to know seven very impressive characters. Instead, the director incorrectly assumes that the viewer is going to be able to easily figure out the story line. But, in fact, the characters and the story are very complex.
Woody Harrelson, an incredibly versatile actor, plays an empowering and inspiring blind man. He's winning. He's someone the viewer wants to know. Woody takes the blind man to new and exciting heights. He does not play a dull, stereotypical blind person. And, he plays the blind person as an individual who is able to do extraordinary things. And, in the real world, there are such gifted individuals. Unfortunately, Woody and the other strangers (with the exception of Rosario Dawson) are relegated to cameo roles. This is sad because each of the seven characters have so much potential that they can make individual sequels of the original story.
The viewer gets a chance to know Will Smith's character, by putting all of the puzzle pieces together--but the film has, what I consider to be, an extremely disappointing ending. The finale is not logical, and does not live up to the character's potential, or what he is all about. The mystery and suspense completely unravels, and the viewer is left with absolutely nothing. The viewer is only left with the question why???
Because Will, Rosario and Woody work extremely hard to hold the whole thing together--in spite of a poorly-edited film and only a partially-developed script--I rank this film a 7 out of 10. With Alfred Hitchcock as the director, and an editor specializing in mystery and suspense, the film could have easily ranked a 10 out of 10.
The problem with this film is that it starts out slowly and, mid-way through the story, the viewer gets a chance to see what's going on. From the beginning, there is mystery and suspense, but the director fails to build the tension necessary to hold the viewer on the edge of his or her seat. There are seven strangers--but, with the exception of Rosario Dawson (who, like Will Smith, gives a riveting performance), the viewer never really gets to to know them. Because the script is not fully developed, the viewer never gets to know seven very impressive characters. Instead, the director incorrectly assumes that the viewer is going to be able to easily figure out the story line. But, in fact, the characters and the story are very complex.
Woody Harrelson, an incredibly versatile actor, plays an empowering and inspiring blind man. He's winning. He's someone the viewer wants to know. Woody takes the blind man to new and exciting heights. He does not play a dull, stereotypical blind person. And, he plays the blind person as an individual who is able to do extraordinary things. And, in the real world, there are such gifted individuals. Unfortunately, Woody and the other strangers (with the exception of Rosario Dawson) are relegated to cameo roles. This is sad because each of the seven characters have so much potential that they can make individual sequels of the original story.
The viewer gets a chance to know Will Smith's character, by putting all of the puzzle pieces together--but the film has, what I consider to be, an extremely disappointing ending. The finale is not logical, and does not live up to the character's potential, or what he is all about. The mystery and suspense completely unravels, and the viewer is left with absolutely nothing. The viewer is only left with the question why???
Because Will, Rosario and Woody work extremely hard to hold the whole thing together--in spite of a poorly-edited film and only a partially-developed script--I rank this film a 7 out of 10. With Alfred Hitchcock as the director, and an editor specializing in mystery and suspense, the film could have easily ranked a 10 out of 10.