A Few Thoughts on Gabriele Muccino’s Seven Pounds

Courtesy: legacyofathousandsuns.com

Off late, I have been trying to write some humour for a personal project. That's when I realised how difficult a task that is! You write and rewrite in pursuit of making others laugh to the extent that, you fail laughing while you read your own write up. Here I was, thinking it would have been so much easier to make one cry; Seven Pounds taught me something different...

The story of Seven Pounds is about Ben Thomas - played by Will Smith - who is victim to a dreadful incident from his past, of which he is quite secretive about. Traumatised by that event, he sets out to seek redemption - he decides to transform the lives of seven deserving unknown people for the better. Another word about the story will be a sure spoiler for the ones yet to watch this movie.

Now for the main q – did I like it?



Courtesy: superiorpics.com

I must be honest. It's been a good 12 hours after I have watched the movie and I am still trying to decide. Somehow in its entirety, the script failed to impress me, to engage me, to consume me. I felt that there was a deliberate effort to throw me into unhappiness – I didn’t feel getting pulled in naturally. I failed to cry or giggle with the characters. The opening sequence got me hooked, but I got off the hook a few moments into the movie. Please don't get the impression that the plot is not interesting. It is! It's just that there were a lot of things happening on screen and I was watching the movie – just watching it. I don't remember feeling as if I was a part of it. The whole movie is tied in to selfless charity. But, it fails to promote the art of giving. The giver, here, doesn't seem to be getting any relief from the act – that could be a reason. Another point that I noticed was the lack of at least a few spurts of comic relief. I believe it would have done the movie a lot of good. Another thought I had was that perhaps, it would have been more effective if the suspense of Ben's past was broken somewhere mid-way rather than at the end of the movie.

Like I mentioned earlier, I loved the opening sequence – it instantly hooks you onto the screen. I loved the narration bit which said, "In seven days, God created the world. And in seven seconds, I shattered mine." The visual was also amazing. In my opinion, it complimented the monologue. Will Smith as Ben and Rosario Dawson as Emily Posa, have given exemplary performances. The makeup team needs special mention. People looked beautifully sick when they needed to. Nothing's overdone; they look weak - not shabby. There has been remarkable effort that has gone into the physique of these characters. For example, when all the jigsaw pieces of the drama finally found their place, I noticed how convincing and different Michael Ealy, who plays Ben's brother in the movie, looked in the few scenes that he appears at different points in time. And, oh yes, I really love the name of the movie. I am certain there has been quite a lot of thought that has gone into it!

Having said all this, getting back to the question of whether I liked Seven Pounds or not – I am neither in love with it nor am I in a state of dislike. It has a lot of pluses and minuses. However, the minuses can be subjective. I would definitely recommend that everybody sees it. I'd love to hear more points of view. I'd love to understand if I missed or overlooked anything in the movie that stopped me from connecting.

For all those of you who have seen it already - let us debate. For all those who haven’t, please do watch it and share your thoughts…

Movies that Touched My Heart: The Pursuit of Happyness

Courtesy: Wikipedia

Movie release: December, 2006
Aimed to watch the movie: From December, 2006
Aim accomplished: May 2013

I know that that is a long lag time with the technology that we have today. Better late than never, I suppose. The important thing is I watched it and I already saw it around 5 times now. That action should be verdict in itself of how I rate the movie. I see a lot of movies and enjoy many of them. However, there are a few which actually touch my heart. Gabriele Muccino’s Pursuit of Happyness definitely makes it to the list.

This motion picture is based on the life of salesman-turned-stockbroker Chris Gardner. It focuses on the phase when Gardner struggles with homelessness and battles with life to make ends meet. It captures his determination to make it big while sticking to the promise he had made to himself a very long time ago – to be a good father.

Will Smith takes me by surprise in The Pursuit of Happyness. Please don't get me wrong. He is a good actor. However, he is more often seen in action-oriented roles. The ease with which he has portrayed the life of Chris Gardner was a welcome surprise. It was interesting to note that I wasn't the only one who thought so. Wikipedia says that Chris Gardner himself (who also makes a special appearance in the movie) reportedly thought Smith, an actor best known for his performances in action movies, was miscast to play him. However, he said his daughter Jacintha 'set him straight' by saying, "If Smith can play Muhammad Ali, he can play you!" 

Will Smith gives true justice to the role of Chris Gardner. Every expression was subtle and absolutely ideal to the situation at hand, especially the one in the climax scene with the board of interviewers.

The movie is a perfect portrayal of a rather imperfect life. I loved the narrative style of the movie. Since this motion picture is inspired from a book, this style particularly deserves a star.

The inference to the phrase 'pursuit of happiness', from the Declaration of Independence was thought-provoking.

I liked the titles given at different phases of Chris's life - riding the bus, being stupid, running etc. I particularly enjoyed noticing that the phase titled 'being stupid' leaves you feeling helpless, rather than making you laugh at someone's stupidity. On the contrary, there are elements of comic relief infused in the movie. For instance, the moment  the narrator describes a phase of his life as 'running', we laugh for a brief moment although the scene is in no way funny. I felt it helped balance the viewer's emotions while keeping them glued to the screen. That is, in my opinion, brilliant direction and editing.

Moments engraved in my heart:

Being a parent myself, the basketball scene was an amazing take-away. Jaden Smith particularly did an amazing job there. A 5-year-old would certainly be confused with the way the advice is shared. But it's true that such advice would grow with him. A little mystery always helps!

Also, I second the abstract statement this feature film makes. Good and effective parenting is not about being with your child all the time. It is about spending quality time with them. You needn't be secretive every time about the struggles you are going through. It teaches them things that no text books ever can. It is a realization that children are intelligent beings.

The subway scene was such an innocent scene and yet it was so touching. Good parenting often demands a lot of imagination amidst stress and helplessness. Brilliant!

Like I mentioned before, Will Smith's expressions were totally amazing. My heart goes out to the climax scene. His expression when he is with the board of interviewers was absolutely perfect. I opted out from inserting that clip just to save the climax for any late Kates like me out there who may not have seen the movie yet.

Today, I salute Chris Gardner for the life he dared to live and I give this movie credit for that. My heartfelt applause to Gabriele Muccino for designing the movie so well. Cheers to the entire cast and crew!