Ever since Will Smith came out in the Men In Black movies, I have always thought of him as a funny guy. I never thought of him as a rapper, truth be told – it just didn’t work out for me. Funny guy, yes.
How about a serious actor? Yeah, he can get away with it. Independence Day. The Pursuit of Happyness. These movies have revealed the serious actor in Will Smith. And with his new movie, Seven Pounds, it seems that his deeper side has come out even more.
Critics have a lot to say about the movie. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle describes the movie:
In fact, the movie is so roundabout and cryptic that it takes half the running time just to figure out the general nature of what’s going on. “Seven Pounds” makes a mystery of its lead character and of what he’s pursuing, and for a very simple reason: If the movie were to announce its subject and story in the usual straightforward way, it would seem so ridiculous, far-fetched and borderline distasteful that no one would want to watch it. It might even seem funny.
Still, he gives the movie, the story, and the actors their due:
Enjoyment of “Seven Pounds” rests entirely in how one reacts to the romance that develops between the austere IRS agent and Emily (Rosario Dawson), a graphic artist suffering from congenital heart failure. Some will cry foul, say it’s too much, that the movie turns maudlin. But for those who find themselves on the film’s wavelength, this is love at the edge of the universe. This is the kind of thing that inspires people to write operas.
The review is enough to spark an interest in me – enough to get me out tonight to see the movie.