Seven Pounds (R-2008)

"Seven Pounds" is a SLOOOOWWW film, but is very captivating at the same time. This is the story of Ben Thomas (Will Smith), who is doing some very strange things as the movie begins which seem to have no rhyme or reason. As you get deeper into the film, you find he is looking for people that he can help in a big way. How he will help them varies and it is not at all clear why he is doing this, but it is clear that he is a tortured soul. When he meets Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson), he finds himself getting closer and closer to her and faces the dilemma that the only way he can help her involves never seeing her again. The movie lets you in on his motivation and his predicament piece by piece, building to the agonizing decision he must make in order to complete his objective. Will Smith gives a great performance and is much more subtle than much of what he is known for. I found the movie captivating from beginning to end. This is a completely human drama, taking place in the hearts and souls of the characters and not through any "dramatic" events. It is interesting to piece together what is going on with Ben Thomas as all of his seemingly disconnected actions start to click together and make some sense. Although it seems like Smith was gunning for an Oscar with this role, it does fall short of that lofty standard, but it is a very good movie nonetheless.

Grade: B

Trailer: