21 Grams (2003)

A freak accident brings together a critically ill mathematician, a grieving mother, and a born-again ex-con.

Director:

Alejandro González Iñárritu

Writer:

Guillermo Arriaga

Stars:

Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Danny Huston

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 28 wins & 36 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Penn	...	Paul Rivers
Naomi Watts	...	Cristina Peck
Danny Huston	...	Michael
Carly Nahon	...	Cathy
Claire Pakis	...	Laura
Benicio Del Toro	...	Jack Jordan
Nick Nichols	...	Boy
Charlotte Gainsbourg	...	Mary Rivers
John Rubinstein	...	Gynecologist
Eddie Marsan	...	Reverend John
Loyd Keith Salter	...	Fat Man
Antef A. Harris	...	Basketball Guy
Melissa Leo	...	Marianne Jordan
Marc Musso	...	Freddy (as Marc Thomas Musso)
Teresa Delgado	...	Gina

Storyline

This is the story of three well-meaning but flawed people: Paul Rivers, an ailing mathematician lovelessly married to an English émigré, Christina Peck, an upper-middle-class suburban housewife, happily married and mother of two little girls, and Jack Jordan, an ex-convict who has found in his Christian faith the strength to raise a family. They will be brought together by a terrible accident that will change their lives. By the final frame, none of them will be the same as they will learn harsh truths about love, faith, courage, desire and guilt, and how chance can change our worlds irretrievably, forever.

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Plot Keywords:

mathematician | accident | faith | guilt | love | 

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Taglines:

How much does guilt weigh?

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, sexuality, some violence and drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Bim Distribuzione [it] Focus Features [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 November 2003 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

21 gram

Filming Locations:

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$232,610 (Japan) (4 June 2004)

Gross:

$1,529,028 (Japan) (2 July 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

This Is That Productions, Y Productions, Mediana Productions Filmgesellschaft

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Katrin Cartlidge originally cast as Marianne but she died shortly before filming was to start. Melissa Leo, who had previously auditioned for the role, was invited to audition again and won the part.

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Goofs

A nickel weighs just under 5 grams so five nickels would be just under 25 grams

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Quotes

[first lines]
Michael: Check, please.
Cathy: Look Daddy, a volcano.
[Cathy blows bubbles into her soft drink]
Michael: It's very pretty. Drink up your volcano. All right. We're going. Mommy's waiting.
Cathy: Daddy, please. Just one more minute.

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Crazy Credits

Thanks to ÁLos amo!

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Connections

Referenced in ER: 21 Guns (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Cumbia De Los Muertos"
(1998)
Written by Asdrubal Sierra, Charles Stewart, William Abers (as Willy Abers),
Raul Pacheco (as Raul Pacheco Jr.), Ulises Bella (as Ulises Baldomero Bella),
, Jose Espinosa (as Jose Ines Espinosa), William Marrufo, Justin Poree,
, Jiro Yamaguchi and Lucas MacFadden (as Lucas Christian MacFadden)
Performed by Ozomatli
Courtesy of Almo Sounds, Inc.
By Arrangement with Natural Energy Lab

User Reviews

Absorbing and powerful direction & acting; the story structure was less than great

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu made a well-deserved leap into the renown film-making pool with Amores Perros, and his follow up 21 Grams shows him with plenty of talent to spare. He also gets three (or more, depends on how effective one thinks the supporting performance were) forceful, compelling performances out of Sean Penn, Benicio Del-Torro, and Naomi Watts. They're involved in three interlocking stories- Penn as a mathematician with a rottening health and a near-rottening relationship; Del-Torro's found Jesus Christ after being in and out of jail for part of his life; Watts is a house-wife who may have some deep troubles within her mind. Each of the three leads doesn't go for cheap drama, and each one plunges the depths of their own abilities to find truths that might not be possible with lesser material or a lesser director. I won't say much more about the stories, however I do have something to say about the structure of the film. The script brings some mesmerizing scenes, ones with great tragedy that bring out a viewer's compassion.

Never-the-less, there was something about the structure that I didn't think was all that great. In films like Once Upon a Time in America, Reservoir Dogs, and even Memento, the scrambled story structure had a purpose, adding appropriate twists and turns for the audience. 21 Grams (like Amores Perros in a sense) has that non-linear basis to it too, and sometimes it works for the audience to react. But I think there would be a lot more power to how these characters' fates and tragedies unfold if it was told linearly from start to finish. In many moments in the film I found myself knowing a little too much before a particular scene unfolded, or I found myself guessing about something that I didn't need to (one of the points of non-linear storytelling is answers first, questions later). It wasn't an aspect that made the film bad, yet the stock that writer Guillermo Arriaga and director Inarritu put into this structure over interlocking the stories in order, or perhaps telling each story separately, is the film's only drawback.