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Last Updated: Jan 15th, 2009 - 12:05:20 |
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| Will Smith stars in "Seven Pounds." |
It takes a likeable actor such as Will Smith to carry off the movie “Seven Pounds,” which tackles one man’s obsession to atone for his past and does not spare any heart-rending emotion along the way.
In the story, a man arranges encounters with selected people and introduces himself as an I.R.S. tax collector named Ben. It is easy to accept Ben (Will Smith) as a Good Samaritan who wants to give a few people a break on their tax bill. But, as it turns out, this isn’t his whole story. In the process of being a do-gooder, Ben can also be a very cruel, angry and tortured man.
Director Gabriel Muccino, who directed “The Pursuit of Happyness,” does this juggling of identity, purpose and emotion for as long as he can. “Seven Pounds” is an exercise in keeping the viewer engrossed by deliberately withholding key details until the very end of the movie. Without this juggling and pacing, the story might be considered trite or predictable.
In the meantime, it is up to Smith and, in many scenes, Rosario Dawson to carry the show. What they do is insert a mini romance into a somber story that is largely about life and death. Smith is a study in how an actor matures, from his early years on the television show “The Fresh Prince of Belair,” to this current role and the role in “The Pursuit of Happyness,” which allow him to play a more well-rounded character, rather than another caricature of a Black male.
Dawson is also able to stretch out beyond her girl-toy, sex-fantasy roles in movies like “Rent” and “Sin City.” At first glance, it is easy to compare her pairing here with Smith with the paring of Eva Mendes and Smith in “Hitch.” Hollywood likes this Black-Brown pairing so that “Seven Pounds” won’t be considered a “Black” movie and their crossover star won’t be pegged as just another Black actor. (They must figure that U.S. might be ready for Black family in the White House but is not ready for Black love on the big screen) But it is not easy to hate on Dawson for landing the role. This might be her best role and performance to date. And, besides, brown girls with big lips need a paycheck too!
It is within this mini-romance, however, that “Seven Pounds” has some moments that don’t ring true. For example, we are all tired of “instant love” in movies, those eye-raising sequences that take us too quickly from we-just-met to some steamy sex scene or quick profession of undying love. There is a scene like that in this movie that might make you giggle.
Other than this small off-note, “Seven Pounds” works as a well-crafted reading of what it means to be successful and accomplished, what it means to suffer, and what is means to give of yourself.
This review also appeared on Tom Joyner's BlackAmericaWeb.com,/i>
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