First of all, I love Will Smith as an actor and I love most of his movies. This was not one of them.

Painfully. Boring.
Emotionally disturbing and deep (in a wrong way) on so many levels. I cannot even figure out how a movie can be so boring and disturbing at the same time….if I didnt see it for myself, I wouldnt have understood. When I saw the trailers I was thinking this would be a really awesome feel good movie….its not.

If you want to read the spoilers and why I really really disliked this movie, “seven” is the password.

My recommendation, Dont see it. It will give you more nightmares than “The Ring”.Seven Pounds is a story about a man who is trying to restore to society damage he created from a common mistake. Looking back on it now, if I knew of someone who thought like this, he would be, in my opinion, mentally ill and in need of professional care.

Seven Pounds glorifies the idea of both the inability to forgive oneself and suicide. This was the most disturbing part of the film. Had it not suggested these, it would have been a much, much better move, even though it was SO PAINFULLY boring (at least the first 90%) of it. I think this was really a 10-15 minute short stretched out to 2 hours. The film makers and actors were talented, and Will Smith was extremely creepy in his role, maybe intentionally so.

Still….

Other Reasons this was a disturbing movie:

– Ben’s (will smith’s character) Best Friend in the movie is fully aware of his ben’s suicidal plans. I believe he is a lawyer, and between being such a good friend and knowing the law, why doesn’t he try to prevent it or help him?

– Ben is intent on doing some good before he takes his own life in an extremely well thought out, well planned manner. Is it not unreasonable to think, that even a person who makes an honest mistake, is able to effect the lives of more than 7 people? The longer you live, the more people you can serve and help if this is your intention.

– While he does offer service to many he meets in the film, Ben’s main mission is to help others is through physical gifts. The best gifts are not physical. Sometimes just being a friend and offering a word of encouragement is the best gift you can give someone, and while he demonstrates flashes of this, he believes that in order to make things right, he needs to be punished and/or destroyed.

– Ben’s character is selfish in his pain. He seems motivated to do good because of his self inflicted guilt. Its a lame reason to help someone. He completely disregards his loved ones and what could be a promising future in order for him to punish himself.

– This very well could be a 2 hour commercial for “Dont text message when you are driving”.

– There is a very odd fascination with Jellyfish and why they are the best way to um…go. Almost like Ben is bowing to the almighty jelly fish.

– After a long stretch of boring/schizophrenia moments, the ending is so brutal (and graphic) you will feel ill and as if you have just been mentally violated.

– I felt an enormous sense of arrogance on the part of the writer and director in that they were so methodical in sprinkling clues throughout the movie that the torment of not knowing the details would be worth it at the end. If you are going to drag it out like this, it better be on the “Sixth Sense” Level of Huge Endings or dont do it…..I think the film makers believed it was better than it was.

– BIG SPOILER: Ben’s heart is given to his love interest who is dying from a congenital heart disease and his eyes are given to a stranger (a blind man played by Woody Harrelson. In the end the woman goes to see this blind man who can now see, but mainly, I believe, to see the eyes of the man who killed himself to save her. I feel sick thinking about it…ugh.

There were several women in the theater crying when I saw it, but really…..I felt it was a tragic movie about a man unable to forgive himself who believes the best way to help others is to commit suicide. Morally disgusting.