Cinema reviews for 12.3: Will Smith in an overwrought drama, Wilson & Aniston in a family-friendly canine tale
| Seven Pounds | | | | | Directed by Gabriele Muccino. Starring Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, Michael Ealy, Barry Pepper, Elpidia Carrillo, Robinne Lee, Joe Nunez, Bill Smitrovich, Tim Kelleher, Gina Hecht, Andy Milder, Judyann Elder, Sarah Jane Morris. Written by Grant Nieporte. | | | | |
Good intentions pave the road to Seven Pounds, which ultimately becomes a hellish sit. Italian director Gabriele Muccino re-teams with Pursuit of Happyness star Will Smith for an ambitious, well-meaning and initially compelling film that eventually sinks under its own pretensions, and is, at times, unbearably overwrought. It does, however, feature the best use of a jellyfish in recent memory.
Smith stars mysterious Ben Thomas, who begins the film by harassing blind customer service rep Ezra Turner (Woody Harrelson) over the phone from his SoCal beach house. Afterwards, he breaks down in tears. Ben was testing him, for some reason, and then he moves on to evaluate a nursing home owner, some hospital patients, and the (literally) broken-hearted Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson). He does all this under the guise of being an IRS agent - though the film gives us no reason to doubt that he actually is an IRS agent, but he´s acting so strange that we cannot accept it at face value.
Who is Ben? What is he doing? Why is he doing it? Ben seems to be a haunted man, as flashbacks to happier times reveal, and he´s strangely reluctant to get too close to Emily. Seven Pounds is shaped like a mystery, the heart of the mystery being: what are we watching, and why are we watching it? If you can wait a couple hours for the answers (which must inevitably be interesting, if the filmmakers decided to make their movie like this), you´ll find value here.
The rest of us will have to tough it out. I was fascinated for the first half hour, then I decided I knew where the film was going, then after an hour I decided I no longer cared. Some movies provide a twist at the end that causes us to re-evaluate the rest of the film; Seven Pounds merely provides an explanation. While it can be compelling to watch something knowing the filmmakers are deliberately holding back information from us, most of the time this is confined to single scenes or segments. Rarely do films attempt to carry this out for the duration; I was reminded of Andrea Arnold´s Red Road, which I had a similar reaction to.
Restrained and saddled with more emotional weight than any actor should be given, Smith is still likable here; the success of the film rests on us following his character around with nothing else to grasp hold of, and he nearly pulls it off. Dawson is also good as a character as much in the dark about Ben as the audience is, and supporting turns by Harrelson and Michael Ealy, as Ben´s brother, are memorable.
Pursuit of Happyness was a refreshingly unsentimental look at a man going through rough times; Seven Pounds is almost the exact opposite - by the end it´s so devastatingly overcooked it´s almost laughable.
There´s a reason the filmmaker´s have kept the whats and whys hidden till the end of the picture. Illogical and unsatisfying, Ben´s motivation and goal here would have been rejected on sight if presented otherwise.
***
| Marley & Me | | | | | | Directed by David Frankel. Starring Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Dane, Kathleen Turner, Alan Arkin, Nathan Gamble, Haley Bennett, Clarke Peters. Written by Scott Frank and Don Roos, from the book by John Grogan. | | | | |
A disappointing adaptation of John Grogan´s autobiographical novel, David Frankel´s Marley & Me features too little Marley and too much Me, in this case Owen Wilson, standing in for the author. Not that Wilson is bad, but his life feels much too conventional as conveyed by the picture, and his & his family´s relationship with Marley isn´t nearly as developed as it should be.
Marley and Me is being billed as a comedy, but it isn´t quite that; it´s the story of John (Wilson) and Jennifer (Jennifer Aniston) Grogan, a newlywed couple who move from Michigan to Southern Florida to start a life. They´re both journalists, and each get work at separate papers. Before having kids, they decide to get a dog, and that´s where Marley, an affectionate and uncontrollable yellow lab, comes in. In the film´s best sequence, a dizzying but loving montage shows how their life continues with, and is often dictated by, Marley´s presence.
And then, well, life goes on. They have a boy, then another, finally a girl. Jennifer quits her job to take care of the kids. John gets a gig as a full-time columnist under the wings of editor Arnie Klein (Alan Arkin). Marley takes a back seat to the lives that develop around him.
If you've been following the number of years the movie has covered, you know what´s going to happen by the end. Most of the picture, while somewhat uneventful, is refreshingly realistic and avoids the pitfalls of this kind of studio fare. The ending wrecks all that with its big, over-the-top sentimentality. It´s awful, cornball stuff that 50´s Disney wouldn´t touch, and makes one yearn for the ‘subtlety´ of Old Yeller.
Cast is effective, lead by Wilson at his most likable. Aniston does her best with a terribly underwritten character whose mood swings feel unprovoked and underdeveloped. Kathleen Turner, who hasn´t appeared on screen in eight years following Sally Field´s Beautiful in 2000, has a brief and rather unfortunate cameo as a dog trainer who flunks Marley.
***
Also opening: This week's other big release is Matteo Garrone's Gomorra, a neo-realist mafia drama that was Italy's official submission to last year's Academy Awards. It's screening in Italian with Czech subtitles in Prague cinemas.
Also: you can now catch master animator Jiří Barta's Na půdě (In the Attic) in Czech with English subtitles at Kino Mat.
And: don't miss the 2009 Jeden svět (One World) fest, which takes over Světozor, Lucerna, Atlas and other Prague cinemas and theaters until March 19th. The "Human Rights Film Festival" showcases some 120 documentaries from over 40 countries around the world.
Review Archive
17.5.12: The Dictator ★★★
10.5.12: Dark Shadows ★★★ | StreetDance 2 ★½
3.5.12: The Avengers ★★★½ | Salmon Fishing in the Yemen ★★★
26.4.12: The Raven ★★½
19.4.12: Battleship ★★½ | The Lucky One ★★½ | This Must Be the Place ★★★ | The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel ★★½ | Hysteria ★★½
12.4.12: We Bought a Zoo ★★★ | The Cold Light of Day ★½ | One for the Money ★
5.4.12: American Reunion ★★★
29.3.12: Wrath of the Titans ★★ | The Vow ★★
22.3.12: The Hunger Games ★★★ | Bel Ami ★★★ | We Need to Talk About Kevin ★★★½
15.3.12: The Lorax ★★½
8.3.12: John Carter ★★★ | Haywire ★★★ | The Grey ★★★
5.3.12: The Chemical Brothers: Don't Think ★★★★
1.3.12: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance ★★ | The Iron Lady ★½ | The Devil Inside ★
23.2.12: War Horse ★★★½ | The Woman in Black ★★★ | My Week with Marilyn ★★½ | This Means War ★½
16.2.12: The Artist ★★★★ | Shame ★★★★ | Safe House ★★½
9.2.12: The Phantom Menace 3D ★★★ | Man on a Ledge ★★½ | The Ides of March ★★★½ | Jack and Jill ★
2.2.12: Hugo ★★★★ | Chronicle ★★★ | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ★★½ | Perfect Sense ★★½
26.1.12: Contraband ★★½ | A Dangerous Method ★★★ | Carnage ★★★ | The Help ★★★
19.1.12: The Descendants ★★★½ | Underworld: Awakening ★★
12.1.12: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ★★★½ | Machine Gun Preacher ★★½
8.1.12: A Separation ★★★★
5.1.12: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows ★★★½
29.12.11: The Darkest Hour ★★
22.12.11: The Inbetweeners Movie ★★ | Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked ★½
15.12.11: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol ★★★
8.12.11: New Year's Eve ★½ | The Rum Diary ★★★½ | The Thing ★★½
1.12.11: Moneyball ★★★★ | Puss in Boots ★★★
24.11.11: Immortals ★★★
17.11.11: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 ★★★½ | I Don't Know How She Does It ★
10.11.11: Real Steel ★★★ | Tower Heist ★★½ | Anonymous ★★½
3.11.11: In Time ★★½
27.10.11: Adventures of Tintin ★★★★ | The Debt ★★½ | Larry Crowne ★★½ | Cave of Forgotten Dreams ★★★½
20.10.11: Paranormal Activity 3 ★★★ | The Three Musketeers ★ | Contagion ★★★½
13.10.11: Johnny English Reborn ★★½
6.10.11: Killer Elite ★★★ | One Day ★★ | Dream House ★½
29.9.11: Friends with Benefits ★★½ | Abduction ★
27.9.11: The Skin I Live In ★★★½
22.9.11: Midnight in Paris ★★★½ | Colombiana ★★½ | Shark Night 3D ★½
15.9.11: Drive ★★★★ | Pina ★★★½ | Crazy, Stupid, Love. ★★½ | Don't Be Afraid of the Dark ★★½
8.9.11: Super 8 ★★★½ | Final Destination 5 ★★★
25.8.11: Cowboys & Aliens ★★
18.8.11: Conan the Barbarian ★★ | Green Lantern ★★½ | Win Win ★★★½ | Womb ★½
11.8.11: Rise of the Planet of the Apes ★★★ | The Lincoln Lawyer ★★★
4.8.11: Captain America: The First Avenger ★★★ | Horrible Bosses ★★★
28.7.11: Cars 2 ★★½ | Jane Eyre ★★★½ | Bad Teacher ★½ | The Resident ★★
21.7.11: The Tree of Life ★★★★ | The Mechanic ★★
14.7.11: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 ★★★½ | Submarine ★★★½
7.7.11: Hanna ★★★½ | Bridesmaids ★★★½
30.6.11: Transformers: Dark of the Moon ★½
16.6.11: Your Highness ★½
9.6.11: The Hangover Part 2 ★★★ | Paul ★★½ | Skyline ★½
2.6.11: X-Men: First Class ★★★½
26.5.11: Melancholia ★★★★
19.5.11: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ★★½
12.5.11: Priest 3D ★★ | Water for Elephants ★★★ | Something Borrowed ★★ | Tetro ★★★½
5.5.11: Fast Five
28.4.11: Thor
21.4.11: Source Code | The Eagle | Mr. Nice
14.4.11: Scream 4 | Just Go with It | Unknown | Somewhere
7.4.11: The Way Back | Love and Other Drugs | Jack Goes Boating | I Am Number Four
31.3.11: Sucker Punch | No Strings Attached | My Soul to Take
24.3.11: Limitless
17.3.11: The Dilemma | The Rite | Sanctum
10.3.11: Rango | The King's Speech
3.3.11: The Adjustment Bureau | Drive Angry 3D
24.2.11: The Fighter | Morning Glory
17.2.11: True Grit | Burlesque
10.2.11: Black Swan | London Boulevard
3.2.11: 127 Hours
27.1.11: The Tourist | Tangled | Chain Letter
20.1.11: The Next Three Days | Gulliver's Travels
13.1.11: The Green Hornet | Season of the Witch | Another Year
6.1.11: The Kids Are All Right | The Good Heart
16.12.10: TRON: Legacy | Paranormal Activity 2
9.12.10: Megamind
2.12.10: Due Date | The American
25.11.10: The Other Guys | The Switch
18.11.10: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
11.11.10: Howl | Devil
4.11.10: The Social Network | You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger | Saw 3D
28.10.10: Red | Animal Kingdom
21.10.10: Four Lions
14.10.10: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World | Eat Pray Love | Machete
7.10.10: DVD Review: Exit Through the Gift Shop
30.9.10: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
23.9.10: Resident Evil: Afterlife
16.9.10: The Karate Kid | Going the Distance
9.9.10: Největší z Čechů
2.9.10: Step Up 3D | Ondine
26.8.10: Grown Ups
19.8.10: The Expendables | The Sorcerer's Apprentice | A Serious Man | When You're Strange
12.8.10: Salt
5.8.10: Get Him to the Greek
29.7.10: Knight and Day | Bunny and the Bull
22.7.10: Inception | Agora
15.7.10: Shrek Forever After | A Single Man | The Rebound | Mr. Nobody
8.7.10: Predators | Letters to Juliet
1.7.10: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
24.6.10: Killers | Solomon Kane
17.6.10: Toy Story 3 | The A-Team | From Paris with Love | The Back-up Plan
10.6.10: The Ghost Writer
3.6.10: Sex and the City 2 | Green Zone
27.5.10: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | Brooklyn's Finest | Precious
20.5.10: Hot Tub Time Machine
13.5.10: Robin Hood | Whatever Works
6.5.10: Kick-Ass
29.4.10: Iron Man 2 | The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans | The Road
22.4.10: The Bounty Hunter | The Crazies
15.4.10: Clash of the Titans | An Education
1.4.10: Moon | The Men Who Stare at Goats | Everybody's Fine
25.3.10: Remember Me | Leap Year | Babylon A.D.
18.3.10: The Lovely Bones | Legion
11.3.10: Daybreakers | Dear John | Mammoth
4.3.10: Alice in Wonderland | Nine
25.2.10: Shutter Island | The Hurt Locker
18.2.10: The Wolfman | Valentine's Day | Edge of Darkness
11.2.10: The Book of Eli | In Search of a Midnight Kiss
4.2.10: Capitalism: A Love Story | Brothers | The Box | Did You Hear About the Morgans?
28.1.10: Up in the Air | The Fourth Kind | New York, I Love You
21.1.10: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus | It's Complicated | Black Dynamite
14.1.10: Sherlock Holmes
7.1.10: Fame
17.12.09: Avatar | Whip It
10.12.09: Spread
3.12.09: Zombieland | A Perfect Getaway
26.11.09: The Twilight Saga: New Moon | Antichrist
19.11.09: Paranormal Activity | Law Abiding Citizen | The Time Traveller's Wife
12.11.09: 2012
5.11.09: My Life in Ruins
29.10.09: This Is It, Love Happens, Halloween II
22.10.09: Fifty Dead Men Walking, Saw VI
15.10.09: The Brothers Bloom, The Ugly Truth, The Final Destination
8.10.09: Surrogates
1.10.09: Julie & Julia, Hunger
24.9.09: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Gamer, Night of the Living Dead 3D
17.9.09: District 9
3.9.09: The Taking of Pelham 123, Man on Wire
27.8.09: Inglourious Basterds, Taking Woodstock, The Proposal
20.8.09: Up, Two Lovers
13.8.09: G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra
6.8.09: Brüno
30.7.09: The Boat That Rocked, Away We Go, Knowing
23.7.09: Crank: High Voltage, Bronson, The Accidental Husband
16.7.09: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The Limits of Control
9.7.09: Public Enemies, The Wrestler
2.7.09: Fighting
25.6.09: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
18.6.09: The Hangover, Drag Me to Hell, Zack and Miri Make a Porno
11.6.09: Coraline, The Secret of Moonacre
4.6.09: Terminator Salvation, I Love You, Man
28.5.09: State of Play, Bottle Shock, New in Town
21.5.09: The Last House on the Left
14.5.09: Angels & Demons
7.5.09: Star Trek, Duplicity, 17 Again
30.4.09: X-Men Origins: Wolverine, My Bloody Valentine
23.4.09: Synecdoche, New York, The Reader, Friday the 13th
16.4.09: Gran Torino, Defiance, Hotel for Dogs, Confessions of a Shopaholic
9.4.09: The Visitor, Happy-Go-Lucky
2.4.09: Fast & Furious, Bride Wars
19.3.09: He's Just Not That Into You, Battle in Seattle, Sex Drive, The Unborn
12.3.09: Seven Pounds, Marley & Me
5.3.09: Watchmen, Doubt
26.2.09: Slumdog Millionaire, The Duchess, The Pink Panther 2
19.2.09: Frost/Nixon, The Spirit, Transporter 3, City of Ember, Bolt
12.2.09: Valkyrie, Milk
5.2.09: The Tale of Despereaux, Bedtime Stories
29.1.09: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Revolutionary Road
22.1.09: Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Traitor
15.1.09: Burn After Reading, Yes Man, Che: Part One, My Best Friend's Girl
8.1.09: Changeling
2.1.09: How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
25.12.08: Australia
11.12.08: The Day the Earth Stood Still, Four Christmases, Paranoid Park, Make It Happen
4.12.08: Bangkok Dangerous, High School Musical 3: Senior Year
27.11.08: Twilight, Body of Lies
20.11.08: Death Race, Repo! The Genetic Opera, The Strangers
13.11.08: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
6.11.08: Quantum of Solace, The Women
30.10.08: Max Payne, Nights in Rodanthe, The Other Boleyn Girl
23.10.08: Vicki Christina Barcelona, The Forbidden Kingdom
16.10.08: Nightwatching, Taken, Juno
9.10.08: Elegy, Mirrors
2.10.08: Eagle Eye, Disaster Movie
25.9.08: 2 Days in Paris
18.9.08: Tropic Thunder, Star Wars: The Clone Wars
04.9.08: Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Journey to the Center of the Earth
28.8.08: You Don't Mess with the Zohan
21.8.08: Funny Games U.S.
14.8.08: WALL•E, Meet Dave, Then She Found Me, The Orphanage
7.8.08: The Dark Knight, Mamma Mia!
31.7.08: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
24.7.08: The X-Files: I Want to Believe
17.7.08: The Incredible Hulk, Shine a Light, Be Kind Rewind, Nim's Island, Made of Honor
10.7.08: Get Smart
3.7.08: Kung Fu Panda, Hancock
26.6.08: Wanted
19.6.08: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Forgetting Sarah Marshall
12.6.08: The Happening, My Blueberry Nights
5.6.08: Sex and the City, Penelope
29.5.08: 21, Untraceable
22.5.08: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
15.5.08: What Happens in Vegas
8.5.08: In Bruges, Speed Racer
1.5.08: Iron Man, Paris, je t'aime
24.4.08: Into the Wild, Fools Gold, Wedding Daze, Superhero Movie
17.4.08: Breath, Frontier(s)
10.4.08: Horton Hears a Who, Doomsday, Vantage Point, Sleuth
3.4.08: In the Valley of Elah, The Bucket List
27.3.08: There Will Be Blood, 27 Dresses
20.3.08: Resurrecting the Champ, Reservation Road
13.3.08: Control, 10,000 BC
6.3.08: 3:10 to Yuma, Jumper
28.2.08: No Country for Old Men, Step Up 2 the Streets
21.2.08: Before the Devil Knows Youre Dead, Rambo, The Eye
14.2.08: National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Charlie Wilsons War, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
7.2.08: Sweeney Todd, We Own the Night, The Kite Runner
31.1.08: Atonement
24.1.08: The Darjeeling Limited, Cloverfield
17.1.08: Michael Clayton, Lust, Caution, Love in the Time of Cholera
10.1.08: Eastern Promises, I Am Legend
3.1.08: American Gangster
20.12.07: P.S. I Love You
13.12.07: The Golden Compass, Hitman
29.11.07: Across the Universe, Beowolf, Balls of Fury, Halloween
22.11.07: Shoot Em Up, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
15.11.07: The Heartbreak Kid, Resident Evil: Extinction
8.11.07: Lions for Lambs, The Last Legion
1.11.07: 30 Days of Night, The Invasion, Sicko, The Good Shepherd
25.10.07: Once, Superbad, Feast of Love, The Seeker
18.10.07: The Brave One, A Mighty Heart
11.10.07: The Kingdom, 1408, Becoming Jane, Snow Cake
4.10.07: Knocked Up
27.9.07: Stardust, Grindhouse, Gympl
20.9.07: I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Evening, Disturbia
13.9.07: Ratatouille, The Hoax, No Reservations
6.9.07: Rush Hour 3, Day Watch, Medvidek
30.8.07: The Bourne Ultimatum, Irina Palm
23.8.07: Hairspray, Planet Terror, Evan Almighty, Interview
16.8.07: Transformers
9.8.07: Mr. Brooks, Pans Labyrinth, Surfs Up
2.8.07: Fracture, Venus, Next
26.7.07: The Simpsons Movie, Angel
19.7.07: Harry Potter 5, The Good Night
12.7.07: Inland Empire, Factory Girl, The Messengers, Hostel 2
5.7.07: Death Proof, Oceans 13, Miss Potter, Fantastic Four 2
28.6.07: Live Free or Die Hard
21.6.07: Pathfinder, Curse of the Golden Flower
14.6.07: Shrek the Third
7.6.07: Hot Fuzz, Zodiac, Because I Said So
31.5.07: Premonition, Black Book
24.5.07: Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End
17.5.07: The Number 23
10.5.07: Renaissance, The Painted Veil, Wild Hogs, Epic Movie
3.5.07: Spider-Man 3, Copying Beethoven, Sherrybaby
26.4.07: Shooter, The Reaping
19.4.07: Sunshine, Alpha Dog, TMNT, Perfect Stranger
12.4.07: The Hill Have Eyes II, Norbit
5.4.07: Stranger Than Fiction, Notes on a Scandal, Meet the Robinsons, Red Road, Blood & Chocolate
29.3.07: Flags of our Fathers
22.3.07: 300, Sketches of Frank Gehry, Black Christmas
15.3.07: Ghost Rider, Music and Lyrics, Feast, Employee of the Month
8.3.07: The Fountain
1.3.07: Rocky Balboa, School for Scoundrels
22.2.07: Little Children, Babel, Dreamgirls, Hannibal Rising, The Darwin Awards
15.2.07: Smokin Aces, The Queen
8.2.07: The Last King of Scotland, Pursuit of Happyness, and Crank
Czech Films
Alois Nebel (2.5.12)
Rodina je základ státu (3.4.12)
V peřině (14.2.12)
Odcházení (Leaving) (16.1.12)
Tajemství hradu v Karpatech (26.10.11)
Katka (1.9.2011)
Rozmarné léto (Capricious Summer) (20.8.2011)
Kuky se vrací (25.7.2011)
Přežít svůj život (Surviving Life) (23.6.2011)
Občanský průkaz (23.5.2011)
Pouta (22.3.2011)
Kristián (8.2.2011)
Kajínek (20.12.2010)
Protektor (15.11.2010)
Kinoautomat (22.6.2009)
Na půdě (In the Attic) (7.4.2009)
Bathory (11.7.2008)
Domov (Home) (7.2.2008)
Občan Havel (31.1.2008)
Gympl (1.10.2007)
Medvídek (22.9.2007)
I Served the King of England (19.1.2007)
Pravidla lži (29.11.2006)
Grandhotel (16.10.2006)
Hezké chvilky bez záruky (24.9.2006)
Kráska v nesnázích (10.9.2006)
Šílení (28.12.2005)
Jason Pirodsky can be reached at jason@expats.cz
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