Sunday, December 28, 2008

FRIDAY MATINEE ON SUNDAY

Seven Pounds




Will Smith plays Ben Thomas, an IRS agent in this very emotional drama.

It starts out with a disturbing scene where Ben is calling 911 asking for an ambulance…..and reporting a suicide. When asked who the victim is, he says he is. Right away, I think the movie is going to be narrated from the other side, or Ben survives this attempt, leading him on a life changing journey seeking redemption. There are out of sequence flashbacks intertwined with Ben’s determination to forever change the lives of seven complete strangers for the better.

The movie jumps into several different scenarios without any smooth transitions, and I start to wonder if I missed something. It comes together in fragments and each scene and interaction between Ben and one of his chosen recipients is riveting and dramatic. But then each episode is left incomplete and mysterious with no closure…until the ending.



Ben inadvertently falls in love with Emily, played by Rosario Dawson along the way, even though he struggles to resist.


Woody Harrelson does a good job playing a blind, kind hearted telemarketer who patiently listens as Ben ridicules him unmercifully over the phone. Ben does this as a test to see just how kind he is....making him worthy of his ultimate gift.

I don’t want to give any more of the story line away. I hadn’t seen any trailer of previews prior to seeing the movie, and I’m glad….now! I really thing the timing is right for a movie like this—audiences who need a little luck in their lives could view Ben as one of Smith’s most heroic screen characters yet.





Even though I think this movie is a stretch as to what anyone could realistically do, I give it seven pounds of heart.




......and the sequel is on the horizon



10 comments:

Big Hair Envy said...

I'd go see this movie JUST to see Will Smith:)

Unknown said...

I would like to see this. I think : ).

heartshapedhedges said...

My friend asked me to go see Slumdog Millionaire...and she said it was about, "who wants to be a millionaire" in India.

What I watched was a strong movie, disturbing t times....but Id recommend it. Maybe you can go see it.

Deb said...

Not sure this is a movie I want to see...nor do I want to see Slumdog Millionaire...nothing seems to tickle my fancy.

Fishin' Mama said...

I saw this when it came out and a couple of times started to nod off to sleep (even though I wasn't tired when I went in)...it just moved really slow. But I loved the plot and it had a very interesting ending.
I just saw Benjamin Button and wrote about it on my blog....try to see that one next and let me know what you think...I loved it.

Chesapeake Bay Woman said...

I could sure use some luck, so maybe I'll go see it. I don't even remember the last movie I saw, it's literally been months and we might even be approaching a year....

This sounds like a good one though.

Anonymous said...

My mom loved it. I guess I'll go see it. Benjamin Buttons was amazingly good though!

Busy Bee Suz said...

Sounds good Gj! I heart will smith too.
I love your movie reviews.

Dr Zibbs said...

I'll wait until DVD for this one. But I saw Gran Torino today and it was great.

CGS said...

I saw Benjamin Button too and it was pretty good. Some similarities to Forrest Gump I thought.

Maybe you should just call this post your Weekly Movie Review, instead of worrying about what day it's on. =)