All a movie needs is Will Smith: the poster for “Seven Pounds” proves as much. There’s Mr. Smith in close-up, wearing a suit and tie. No further explanation necessary.
This is a measure of Will Smith’s clout as a movie star, but it also illustrates the film’s mystery. “Seven Pounds” takes a long time to reveal what, exactly, it’s about.
Part of the enjoyment of watching “Seven Pounds” — and it is an intriguing experience — is being carried along in a story that remains inscrutable until very late in the game. All we know is that Smith plays a well-to-do character named Ben, who flashes an IRS agent’s badge at a series of strangers.
He doesn’t act much like an IRS agent, however. (And by the way, in making generalizations about IRS agents, I of course feel that IRS agents are bright, shining examples of humanity. Seriously, I’m not worth auditing.)
He taunts a blind man (Woody Harrelson), talks to a battered wife (Elpidia Carrillo) in strangely intimate terms, and follows a heart patient (Rosario Dawson) to her hospital room. A little strange.
Over the course of two deliberately paced hours, Ben’s curious dealings with these and four other strangers will take jigsaw shape. It would be interesting to see whether Grant Nieporte’s script had the same impact if it weren’t such a tease — would the whole thing fall apart as a morbid story of atonement?
No more about the plot should be mentioned, and if you’re one of those people who likes to have the endings ruined, you can find the “spoilers” online.
“Seven Pounds” reunites Will Smith with his “Pursuit of Happyness” director, Gabriele Muccini. The tone is similar, although where “Pursuit” rewarded its endlessly suffering hero with a happy ending, things are a little more complicated here.
Muccini’s films tend to be slick, but with a sense of sadness that keeps them interesting. That melancholy overwhelms Will Smith at times in “Seven Pounds” — he’s a basket case for much of the picture.
Smith is an agile actor, and he can pull this off. He has a straight-on emotional approach to acting, which makes him ideal for a movie that requires a few dives into sorrow.
Because we don’t know the source of Ben’s angst, the audience can be forgiven for occasionally losing patience with his weepier side. And maybe for wondering why Rosario Dawson’s vulnerable character is so willing to let this obscure fellow into her life.
At some point “Seven Pounds” loses its ability to maintain the mystery, but I give it credit for being genuinely unusual, all the way to the end. And if it wasn’t already implied: bring your handkerchiefs.
“Seven Pounds” ½
Unusual: A weepy Will Smith intrudes into the lives of seven strangers, for reasons that take most of two hours to unpack. This movie gets points for being genuinely unusual, but it can’t quite pull of the mysterioso approach. With Rosario Dawson.
Rated: PG-13 rating is for subject matter.
Now showing: Alderwood, Everett Stadium, Marysville, Monroe, Mountlake, Meridien, Metro, Oak Tree, Woodinville, Cascade
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