Seven Pounds - A Review

Seven Pounds- originated from "pounds of flesh" where the main character Tim Thomas intended to give seven pounds of flesh to seven deserving people so that he can change their lives.

From the producer of Pursuit of Happyness, the movie opened with a depressed Tim Thomas (Will Smith) reporting his own suicide. Then it was a flashback to his search of seven deserving souls to save.


Synopsis adapted from ImDB, Once, Tim Thomas was a gifted aerospace engineer with a beautiful wife and a lovely beach house. Then, while using his cell phone while driving, his car wandered across lanes and he became responsible for the deaths of 7 others, including his beloved wife. Unable to forgive himself or raise the dead, Tim sets out to give "pounds of flesh" that will give new life to seven deserving individuals to make up for the seven lives he destroyed. Just as Antonio would have to die to pay Shylock the "pound of flesh" he demands, Tim intends to kill himself to atone for his sins. His brother Ben (Michael Ealy), who works for the IRS, is deeply concerned about his state of mind. Tim steals his brother's IRS ID to access the IRS database and to find and meet people who he believes worthy of his gifts which includes body organs and material possessions. Holly Apelgren (Judyann Elder), Ezra Turner (Woody Harrelson), Connie Tepos (Elpidia Carrillo) and Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson) are among those whom he identifies to help. Furthermore, Tim assumes his brother's identity of "Ben Thomas" to personally investigate these people and verify that they are indeed the right people he should help. He has a plan for when he identifies his 7 beneficiaries that requires his best friend Dan (Barry Pepper) to see that his wishes are carried out after he is dead. Tim's plan threatens to unravel when he begins to fall in love with one of the people he is trying to help.


The emotional setting of the movie was great. Will Smith had this very tortured sad face every scene, as if he was going to burst into tears. But his features soften when he met Emily Posa. I think that the whole movie was fantastic as it shows great emotions. Imagine the pain and guilt that rode on Tim when he destroyed 7 lives. And I have to say I admire Tim's determination to carry out his selfless mission, even though it meant leaving the one he loved and killing himself. Tim indeed picked and chose his beneficiaries carefully and helped them with the gift of life. The last few scenes made me cry. He chose to commit suicide by putting a box jellyfish into a bathtub with himself, the most painful way to die, to be slowly paralysed by the poison and to die in icy cold water too. I think maybe he wanted to punish himself, up to the moment he die.

Overall, this is a very nice movie to watch when you watch it with a critical mind. This movie requires quite a lot of analysis and understanding. And be emotionally prepared too. Watching a man die in a bathtub, even in movies, can affect your mind in many ways.