Seven Pounds
A guilt-ridden man engineers a secret campaign of radical generosity, only to find romance disrupting his carefully calculated path toward redemption.
Overview
A man's quest for redemption leads to unexpected love and transformation.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- mournful
- sentimental
- quiet evening
- emotional movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film grim, excessively sentimental, and undermined by an illogical concealed-motivation plot, while singling out Rosario Dawson’s performance for praise.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Ben methodically selects seven people and transforms their circumstances as an act of personal atonement.
Ben’s identity checks, investigations, and interventions keep his larger plan hidden from both the people around him and the audience.
Ben falls in love with Emily even though she is one of the people included in his redemptive plan.
The film foregrounds sadness, organ donation, illness, guilt, and redemption in an overtly heart-centered dramatic register.
Films like Seven Pounds, and why
The Pursuit of Happyness
shared themes of guilt, self-sacrifice, redemption, and emotionally devastating romance
Pay It Forward
shared focus on redemptive sacrifice, moral responsibility, and sentimental dramatic storytelling
The Lake House
shared mystery-driven emotional revelation, romantic intimacy, and tragic themes of loss
City of Angels
shared themes of altruism, mortality, doomed love, and spiritual redemption
Movie Details
- Director
- Gabriele Muccino
- Release Date
- 2008-12-18
- Runtime
- 123 min
- Rating
- 7.6 / 10 (7402)
Cast
- Will Smith
- Rosario Dawson
- Woody Harrelson
- Michael Ealy
- Barry Pepper
- Elpidia Carrillo
- Robinne Lee
- Bill Smitrovich
- Joe Nuñez
- Sarah Jane Morris
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu, fuboTV
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Seven Pounds about?
- A guilt-ridden man engineers a secret campaign of radical generosity, only to find romance disrupting his carefully calculated path toward redemption.
- What is Seven Pounds like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Seven Pounds as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Seven Pounds violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Seven Pounds as mild.
- What did critics think of Seven Pounds?
- Critics broadly found the film grim, excessively sentimental, and undermined by an illogical concealed-motivation plot, while singling out Rosario Dawson’s performance for praise.
- Which films are like Seven Pounds?
- Films with a similar feel include The Pursuit of Happyness, Pay It Forward, The Lake House, and City of Angels.
- How long is Seven Pounds?
- Seven Pounds runs 123 minutes.
- Where can I watch Seven Pounds?
- In United States, Seven Pounds streams on Hulu, fuboTV.
