Seven Pounds (2008)

A man with a fateful secret embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers.

Director:

Gabriele Muccino

Writer:

Grant Nieporte

Stars:

Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson

3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Will Smith	...	Ben
Rosario Dawson	...	Emily Posa
Woody Harrelson	...	Ezra
Michael Ealy	...	Ben Thomas
Barry Pepper	...	Dan
Elpidia Carrillo	...	Connie
Robinne Lee	...	Sarah
Joe Nunez	...	Larry (Hotel Owner) (as Joseph A. Nuñez)
Bill Smitrovich	...	George Ristuccia
Tim Kelleher	...	Stewart Goodman
Gina Hecht	...	Dr. Briar
Andy Milder	...	George's Doctor
Judyann Elder	...	Holly
Sarah Jane Morris	...	Susan
Madison Pettis	...	Connie's Daughter

Storyline

Haunted by a secret, Ben Thomas looks for redemption by radically transforming the lives of seven people he doesn't know. Once his plan is set, nothing will be able to stop him. At least that's what he thinks. But Ben hadn't planned on falling in love with one of these people and she's the one who will end up transforming him.

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Plot Keywords:

redemption | engineer | imposture | fraud | death of title character | 

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Taglines:

Seven Names. Seven Strangers. One Secret.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic material, some disturbing content and a scene of sensuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

19 December 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Siete almas

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,565,949 (UK) (16 January 2009)

Gross:

£5,200,225 (UK) (6 February 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media, Overbrook Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Will Smith's character stays at the Travel Inn in Los Angeles, CA. The same hotel was used in Memento.

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Goofs

Because eyes are not connected to the blood stream, eye donors do not need to be matched as closely as other organ donors. Because of this, it is doubtful that Ezra would be waiting for eyes. Also, in general eye donation does not cure blindness. Eye donors give only corneas, whole eye transplantation is not common yet. People who are born blind or have blindness due to a problem with the inner eyes (which causes most blindness) cannot be cured by cornea donations. Cornea donation is sort of like replacing a windshield. It's a simple and non-dramatic process.

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Quotes

[first lines]
911 Operator: 911 emergency...
Ben Thomas: I need an ambulance.
911 Operator: I have you at 9212 West Third Street in Los Angeles.
Ben Thomas: That's room number 2.
911 Operator: What's the emergency?
Ben Thomas: There's been a suicide.
911 Operator: Who's the victim?
Ben Thomas: I am.

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #26.12 (2009)

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Soundtracks

"For Me Formidable"
Written by Charles Aznavour, Gene Lees, Jacques Plante and G. Calabrese
Performed by Charles Aznavour
Courtesy of EMI Music France
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music

User Reviews

Incredible

This film blew me away. The acting was superb, the story was heart wrenching and I truly believed in the characters. Some of you may say that this film is just another in a list of movies such as Pay It Forward.

This is a fallacy. This film here grabbed me from the start and will stay with me for weeks. It's a very powerful film and Will Smith and the rest of the cast deserve our applause and respect for playing their roles so well. Credit to the scriptwriters and director for also allowing this film to exist, it was amazing.

A definite must see film and one worthy of nomination for awards.

9/10