Mon Avis: Movie Review: Seven Pounds - Predictable, hardly emotional and over dependent on Smith!

I distinctly remember watching The Pursuit of Happyness with a friend about two years ago and going numb when the end credits rolled. When we came out of the theatre, I asked her for an opinion and she was blank, which I only found later was more due to the shock of the impact than due to anything else. The movie was hard-hitting and thought provoking, establishing Will Smith in a different league. Will Smith (and his real-life-reel son) was endearing, emotive and extremely believable in the role, something of a pleasant surprise after his Hitch kind of acts. So as biased as my mind could be, and also owing to the fact that SP is directed by same Gabriel Mucconi who directed TPOF, I was expecting more but what I got was not 1/10th as much. Smith is in a rough patch after I am legend and Hancock

Even in its absolute context, the movie does little to help a viewer go through the emotions that the lead character may be trying to endorse. The film is boring, script is forced and the characterisation is cliched. It is quite possible that the director thought Will Smith would be enough to rework TPOF happiness. But it ain't no good.

Without giving away any spoilers, Will Smith sets out on a mission to save 7 strangers in distress as an act of redemption, after authenticating each ones case and even falling in love with one of them. Why and How? well , that is what the movie is about and exactly that disappoints. Writing anything more would be giving away whatever little the movie has  - well , what it has is driving while using Blackberry, rose bushes fertilization with banana peel, soulful sex by the candle lights, swearing, car accident, and a dangerous metaphorical jelly fish.

Downs:

• Script : Bland one which starts on a high note , giving audience an illusion of similarity to TPOF and a mystery which is obvious and predictable within first 30 minutes, rest is mere humdrum of a spill of a bunch of disconnected characters which fail at evoking any empathy as the plot unfolds. 
• Direction/Editing - Both cause the movie to drag and hence escape what could have been the only saving grace, some smart editing. The movie lumbers on and audience is not much surprised as the tragic end progresses. But when the end does come, audience instead of showing empathy, is hardly convinced about the plot and finds itself bewildered.
• Title - full two months after the release of the movie in US , the mystery behind the name is still no clear and there are just about lose words travelling across mouths that relate it to .... errr... hold your breadth... well, The Merchant of Venice and reference to debt as a pound of flesh

Ups:

• Will Smith: Despite his hard emoting, he still manages to infuse whatever little life possible into this otherwise dull drama. He acts with grace and sadness that is so becoming of him and reminiscent of TPOF. He has done it well but alas, could not do enough to undo the lack of a good screenplay

Watch it if you have nothing else to do, but prepare to be disappointed. And please, keep 'The Pursuit of Happyness' out of this. This is more like pursuing tragedy that too an half baked one. :)