Seven Pounds (2008) Director: Gabriele Muccino

Seven Pounds, starring Will Smith, is an absolute barrel of laughs. This is one of the bleakest films I've ever seen. I think it's meant to be 'uplifting' but, honestly, this isn't happy Friday night viewing.

The concept of Seven Pounds is in itself quite interesting. Will Smith, as once successful Tim Thomas, kills seven people in a car crash - including his fiancee. In a quest for redemption, and the fact he can't live with himself after what he's done, he reaches out to seven strangers, to give them a gift each which will change their lives. It's a good concept and pitch for a movie but what it turns into is absurdity and the film is full of holes. As is Tim's body as most of the gifts involve his body parts.

We don't get to find out why Tim chooses some of the people, for instance, Woody Harrelson's character of a blind man - Ezra Turner. We do, however, get a romantic interlude in Act II through Rosario Dawson's Emily Posa, a 'once-pretty' greetings card printer who is suffering from heart failure. Tim learns how to love again through her but, oh no, Emily needs an urgent heart transplant to live. Can you guess what's coming in Act III?

This is stretching things out as far as plots go but we then come onto how Tim actually helps Emily. I try to avoid spoilers on here but the dude could seriously have chosen another way out. What he does is laughable, I think it is supposed to be tender and moving, but I laughed out loud. All I will say is it involves a jellyfish. A jellyfish!

I did enjoy seeing Will Smith in a serious role, something a bit different to his normal cracking around. It's a shame that this movie was so much of a stinker.
2/5