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IMDb > 21 Grams (2003)
21 Grams
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Photos (see all 47 | slideshow) Videos (see all 2)
21 Grams (2003) -- A freak accident brings together a critically ill mathematician (Penn), a grieving mother (Watts) and a born-again ex-con (Del Toro).
21 Grams (2003) -- Theatrical Preview

Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   67,679 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 1% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Writer (WGA):
Guillermo Arriaga (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for 21 Grams on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
26 December 2003 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Thriller more
Tagline:
Difference between dead and life more
Plot:
A freak accident brings together a critically ill mathematician (Penn), a grieving mother (Watts) and a born-again ex-con (Del Toro). full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 20 wins & 34 nominations more
User Comments:
Esotercat's Riveting Review of "21 Grams" more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for language, sexuality, some violence and drug use.
Runtime:
124 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital
Filming Locations:
Memphis, Tennessee, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
When Paul finds the photos of Cristina and her husband in a book, the book he is looking at is "Cruising Paradise", a collection of 40 stories about solitude and loss by playwright-actor Sam Shepard. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Months after the operation, after sleeping with Cristina, Paul still has a "hospital shave" on his chest. more
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.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "ER: 21 Guns (#12.22)" (2006) more
Soundtrack:
You're Losing Me more

FAQ

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163 out of 205 people found the following comment useful:-
Esotercat's Riveting Review of "21 Grams", 30 November 2003
Author: Kay (esotercat@cs.com) from Dallas, Texas



Some movies are like a novel. Some movies are like a poem. Some films have flashbacks and flash-forwards. Some, like `Memento,' stretch the boundaries of convention and take wild risks such as moving the drama from the end to the beginning. `21Grams' is a cinematic poetic explosion, shaking all the pieces hard as hell, and then tossing them in the air to fall at random. Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, he gives the audience the puzzle unraveled, demanding that we piece together the story from interlaced past, present and future events. It is part flashy gimmick, part artistic mastery, but always compelling.

This is not a film for either the faint of heart or lazy of mind. Nor is it for those who become frustrated by film that dares to step outside the linear plot and paint-by-numbers formula. The mishmash of past/present/future is allegorical in the sense that we all carry our past, all hinge our hearts on the future, and all struggle with a `present' as dotty and haunted as this film so wildly illustrates.

In `21 Grams' it is required that the viewer surrender. As in life, there is no control. I must admit that I became a bit antsy and pressed for answers when none were being provided. You are riveted by events and players that intermingle in a haphazard mishmash of time with a rebellious lack of structure. You can either go with the flow-or back out to your car. Since I saw only one person exit the theater, for any reason, in the 125 minutes running time, I conclude that the fully occupied theater was as riveted as I was, even to the point of extreme bladder control.

The performances are stunning. Sean Penn is always good, Benicio Del Toro solidifies his Oscar, and Naomi Watts is the big talent to watch. Her emotional honesty is beyond acting-I believed her to feel the pain she displayed.

The `plot' almost seems inconsequential. The film is about the depth of human feeling in our brief interplay between living and dying. It's about damnation and redemption, revenge and forgiveness, surrender and salvation. It offers no explanations. It merely illustrates the human experience in a trenchant manner that makes us aware that every minute of every day is a precarious drama that we look upon more lightly than we should. The dramatic cortex is the human heart-lost, gained, tormented, anguished and confused. The metaphorical context is the fleeting nature of each heart's temporal beat and our desperately valiant struggle to flesh out our mortal hearts' desires.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for 21 Grams (2003)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Why I don't like this movie, and why I think some do. ereg24
The final frame muzzle33
Question about the transplant dab6
Penn's character is one of the most disliked I've ever seen NineInches9
Why is this movie often put together with Traffic? dcij47
best movie ever! does anyone know any movie like this? faraz_84
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