Seven Pounds

[Cigdem Göle]

Seven Pounds is the second film where we see the Italian director Gabriele Muccino and Will Smith work

together. The first one was the wonderful The Pursuit of Happyness.

It's difficult to talk about the plot without giving away the surprise element in the film. However, I'll try and

briefly summarize the plot.

Smith's character Ben Thomas is an IRS agent who is suffering from a horrible mistake he made in the past.

Crushed under the weight of his mistake, he decides to help seven people in need whom he chose randomly.

He makes a list and begins helping the ones that are on the list. What he doesn't know at the start is that he will

have to make a dramatic change in his plan when he falls in love with one of the people he chose to help.

However, the plot itself which pushes the idea -there are good souls out there who can do anything to help

people who are total strangers to them- and the surprise ending are far from being convincing. Even the grotesque

atmosphere of the film and Smiths's performance are not enough to save Seven Pounds from being utterly unrealistic

and unnecessarily melodramatic.

When it comes to comparing Smith's two characters (Chris Gardner - The Pursuit of Happyness and Ben Thomas - Seven Pounds)

his performance in Seven Pounds is both disappointing and weak. Chris Gardner is a single parent who is trying to overcome

the difficulties of life with determination whereas Ben Thomas is an unstable, confused, shallow cry-baby (a saint-like man at the same time!). Although Smith's Ben Thomas appears to know what he is doing, he fails to convince the viewer.

After his beautiful and unforgettable performance in The Pursuit of Happyness, Will Smith's Seven Pounds is a total disappointment.

Edited March 17, 2009 by Cigdem Göle