PG-13, 1 hr. 58 min. Directed By: Gabriele Muccino. Release Date:
Dec 19, 2008. DVD Release Date: Mar 31, 2009.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been
this underwhelmed by Will Smith. Not all
of his performances are entertaining, some just make me think a bit, but
they’re generally pretty good, or so I can admit to myself after years of
therapy trying to convince myself that the Fresh Prince doesn’t totally suck. I’m also excepting his two rounds as Jay from the hot mess that was the Men In Black series. In Seven
Pounds, I thought he was believable in a sleepy way. I even (kind of) understood where he was
coming from. I have an understanding of
the sort of guilt that we watch him go through, although I have to wonder at
the realism of the complexity of his reaction to that guilt.
In an even more surprising move, I was
overwhelmed by Rosario Dawson, who I think probably has the same agent as Ben
Kingsley. You know, the one who
consistently puts a talented actor in increasingly crappy roles. Very rarely do I think Ms. Dawson lands a
part that is worth her talents, although I have to wonder if the large number
of characters that she plays that possess a certain… devilish sense of humor
are anything like her real personality.
Dawson is what makes this movie for me.
There was so much passion and brutal honesty in her part that it kind of
made up for those parts of the movie that didn’t quite work for me.
This is a movie that I like, but I don’t
necessarily enjoy it. It’s a bit like Pursuit of Happyness in that
regard: it has powerful themes and a
message that should spark debate, both internal and interpersonal, but it’s not
necessarily a movie that I’m going to run out and see again anytime soon. So, even with my new separation of head and
gut reactions, I’m finding this a little hard to put my finger on.
If you’re looking for something serious…
and a bit depressing, with really good performances and a really cool great dane that isn't Scooby Doo, you’re in the right place. If
you’re looking for something a bit lighter and a whole lot less meaningful, you
probably need to keep on looking.
