'Seven Pounds' review

Will Smith (Credit: Merrick Morton/Sony)

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Mysterious IRS agent Ben Thomas (Will Smith) mysteriously decides to help seven strangers for mysterious reasons. But his plans get complicated when he falls in love with one of those people, Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson, at her naturalistic best), a young woman with a life threatening illness.

The buzz: The trailers and ad campaign for “Seven Pounds” have kept the film’s story, and the true purpose of Ben’s benevolence, pretty well under wraps. Apparently, when you’ve got the world’s biggest movie star, you don’t need to tell the audience much more. One thing that’s not a secret is that the movie reunites Smith with “The Pursuit of Happyness” director Gabriele Muccino. The real buzz will begin after audiences decide whether they’re impressed or disappointed with what “Pounds” is really about.

The verdict: The story comes together in fragments, with considerable screen time devoted to oblique conversations and mysterious actions, but that vagueness keeps things interesting. And as the intricate plotting slowly gives way to the deeply felt, expertly played romance between Ben and Emily the movie finds its heart. The timing seems right for a movie like this—audiences who need a little luck in their lives could view Ben as one of Smith’s most heroic screen characters yet—and it ranks with “Happyness” as one of the superstar’s better efforts in recent years. That’s not to say the storyline isn’t ultimately overly contrived and shamelessly manipulative. It is. But it’s so elegantly constructed you may not care...much.

Did you know? This is screenwriter Grant Nieporte’s first produced screenplay, but he began his career coming up with ideas for “Home Improvement’s” “Tool Time” segments.

Video: Watch a review of 'Seven Pounds'

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