Giving in to the sentimental spell should be done so without shame or guilt.
Comment
12/21/08
Seven Pounds (2008)
27
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:172
Fresh:47
Rotten:125
Average Rating:4.6/10
Consensus: Grim and morose, Seven Pounds is also undone by an illogical plot.
Australian Rating: TBC
Genre: Dramas
Australian Theatrical Release:
Jan 8, 2009 Wide
US Box Office: $69,951,824
Synopsis: Academy Award® nominee Will Smith reunites with the directors and producers of The Pursuit of Happyness for the emotional drama Seven Pounds. In the film, Smith plays Ben Thomas, an IRS agent with... [More]
Starring: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, Barry Pepper
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Reviews for Seven Pounds
61 - 80 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
The 'big surprise' of "Seven Pounds' is that the 'big surprise' flies in your face during the first 15 minutes of the movie.
12/20/08
Will Smith's status as Hollywood's box office champ will be sorely tested with Seven Pounds
12/20/08
The intrigue of putting the clues of the plot together is fun in the beginning but becomes tedious midway through.
12/20/08
The results look nice, but there's little way to get past its intriguing but impenetrable (and unmarketable) premise.
12/20/08
An incredibly sappy and manipulative dirge disguised as a deep rumination on sacrifice and redemption.
12/20/08
To say that Seven Pounds is an odd film is an understatement--it's often downright bizarre. What's even crazier is that the damned thing kinda sorta works
12/20/08
It is a good movie that misses out on greatness simply because it was never really destined for it.
12/20/08
The real mystery is why such a maudlin screenplay made it to the big screen in the first place and what made Smith and Muccino think they could turn it into anything more than somber melodrama.
12/20/08
When it comes to having the courage to trust the audience, Muccino proves he's as spineless as a jellyfish.
12/19/08
Despite its heaping servings of misery, Seven Pounds is ultimately hopeful.
12/19/08
If [director Gabriele] Muccino [who directed Will Smith in the Pursuit of Happyness] had a sense of humor, he would have named Seven Pounds The Pursuit of Unhappyness.
12/19/08
It makes sense with the notable films of 2008 (the Synecdoches and Wrestlers), it just has the misfortune of sucking.
12/19/08
...a well-intentioned misfire. Give Smith credit for taking chances, but that's an A for effort, not for the actual film.
12/19/08
Sure, there are parts that are overly sappy and the ending is a little bit outlandish, but at least the film makes you think while sitting on the edge of your seat, which is a rare theater-going experience these days.
12/19/08
There is nothing feel good in a film that is about love, sorrow and sacrifice. This is a problem.
12/19/08
Where the weird government employee, who lives in a hotel that rents by the hour and buys sting rays for his aquarium, gets tested.
12/19/08
Smith himself is rarely boring, of course %u2014 he radiates talent, charm and intelligence. But in the new movie Seven Pounds, he has intentionally dialed down his most appealing qualities %u2014 romantic dash, comic sparkle, rousing physicality %
12/19/08
As high concepts go, Seven Pounds is distasteful in the extreme.
12/19/08
Muccino lays on the melodrama so thick that I felt like I needed a shower by the end, and instead of shedding a tear, I couldn't wait to get out of the theater.
12/19/08
Latest News for Seven Pounds
January 16, 2009:
UK Critics Consensus: The Wrestler Pile-drives The Critics, But Don’t Waste any £s on Seven Pounds
With critical success for Slumdog Millionaire last week (94%), we have more award-friendly fare in the UK cinemas this Friday in Darren Aronofsky's spandex-tastic The Wrestler.... More...
December 28, 2008:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Marley Takes #1, The Spirit Tanks
This weekend people were in the mood for movies over Christmas weekend as multiplexes were jam-packed with customers that powered four different new releases to more than $30M... More...
December 22, 2008:
Will Smith as widower wracked with guilt. 
More...
December 21, 2008:
Smith, in his typical impressive pressure cooker character fashion, is a nervous wreck suicidal IRS agent who raises pet jellyfish, and seems to enjoy harassing when not stalking his clients. Paging Dr. Kevorkian.
More...
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