Life-Changing Experiences in Will Smith’s “Seven Pounds”
Making the rounds in theaters these past several weeks, the Will Smith vehicle Seven Pounds ( December 19th) asks the question just how much one needs to do to atone for a past mistake. In Smith’s case, the answer is ”a heck of a lot.”
Also starring Barry Pepper, Woody Harrelson and Rosario Dawson — who’s probably the film’s single best-drawn character — Seven Pounds takes us through a series of flashbacks and in-the-moment scenes, mostly involving the interplay between Smith’s character (a former high-powered media executive named Tim Thomas) and a number of the people whose lives he’s set out to change for the good. Seeking not merely to give them a gift right upfront, Thomas also secretly examines several of the potential recipients for their essential goodness (or lack of), including the luminous Rosario Dawson, who figures prominently in the decision taken by Thomas to bring his atonement to a final, jarring end.
There’s an interesting backstory involving Smith’s character and that of his younger brother, an IRS agent out on medical leave and whose life was saved by the donation of a portion of the elder Thomas’ liver. It also helps to explain how Thomas is able to find such a wildly-diverse group of people who seem to be in particular need of the gifts which he can bestow.
Along with Dawson, Woody Harrelson (playing a blind customer service representative and part-time piano teacher) also delivers a decent performance in the limited amount of screen time he’s given. One can sympathize with him, given the poor hand he was dealt by life and how he deals with it. Given the somber tone of the movie at times, and its ending, Seven Pounds probably isn’t for moviegoers seeking the typical lighthearted Will Smith romp.
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