Seven PoundsMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Seven Pounds."

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Avg. Critic Score: 36 out of 100 Generally unfavorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 Iffy for 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    A spiritual successor to "The Pursuit of Happyness," but darker and more oblique. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Some people will find it emotionally manipulative. Some people like to be emotionally manipulated. I do, when it's done well. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    While it doesn't break any new ground or provide any revelations, Seven Pounds is unabashedly emotional and cautiously hopeful. It's the feel-good movie for these feel-bad times. Read full review

  • 60
    Washington Post | Michael O'Sullivan

    The movie is pretty unabashed about the all-but-corny sentiment: Each of us has something to give. Read full review

  • 60
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    The film's Italian director does achieve in his second American outing a pleasing blend of Hollywood professional sheen and European sensitivity to character details and nuances. Read full review

  • 25
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    An unintentionally ludicrous drama of repentance. Read full review

  • 20
    Los Angeles Times | Jan Stuart

    The rest of Seven Pounds feels like a half-hour "Twilight Zone" script that has been pressed onto a gob of Silly Putty and stretched to the sinking point. Read full review

  • 20
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    An endlessly sentimental fable about sacrifice and redemption that aims only at the heart at the expense of the head. Intricately constructed so as to infuriate anyone predominantly guided by rationality and intellect. Read full review

  • 10
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    Mr. Smith's latest film is about nothing less than life and death, sin and atonement, and it takes the soggy cake for multiple layers of sentimentality topped by indigestible grandiosity. Read full review

  • 0
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    The most transcendently, eye-poppingly, call-your-friend-ranting-in-the-middle-of-the-night-just-to-go-over-it-one-more-time crazily awful motion pictures ever made. Read full review

View more reviews for Seven Pounds on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 14+ Melancholy Will Smith film is too intense for younger kids.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that Will Smith + holidays usually equals blockbuster. But this drama's mysterious title and trailer may turn off younger fans who'd rather see a comedy or fantasy. And viewers in the mood for a feel-good story should look elsewhere: The movie tackles heavy themes like what it means to live a meaningful life, embracing death in the face of a terminal illness, and using grief as a motivation to act selflessly. The language and consumerism are mild, the violence is limited to (admittedly disturbing) scenes of two fatal incidents, and the sexuality is one love scene featuring a bare shoulders and backs. All of that said, the central message -- giving of yourself no matter what the cost -- may be too mature for young viewers to handle.
  • Families can talk about the film's emphasis on altruism. What messages does it send about generosity? Is it a positive message?
  • Was Ben saintly or insane -- or is it a little of both?
  • Families can also discuss how the movie develops as a suspenseful drama. How specifically was it suspenseful? Was the end predictable, or did it succeed in being a "big reveal"?
  • How does Smith's character here compare with others he's played? Do you prefer him in dramas or comedies/action-adventures? Why?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Helping others is an important message for children and teens to take seriously, but purposely endangering your life in the process isn't advisable.
  • rolemodels true0 Positive role models: On the one hand, Ben is incredibly altruistic and generous, but on the other, he's also depressed, obviously suffering from post-traumatic stress and mentally unstable. Also on the up side, the movie features a diverse cast.
What to watch for
  • violence false2 Violence: Disturbing glimpses of a fatal, multi-car accident are shown. A battered woman has a black eye. One character almost dies, and another character does die in a bizarre way. Ben needs a cast after smashing up his house.
  • sex false2 Sex: A couple kisses/embraces, and another couple makes love -- thier bare backs and shoulders are visible.
  • language false3 Language: On the milder side for a PG-13 film, but still a couple of uses of "s--t," "hell," "ass," "goddamn," etc.
  • consumerism false2 Consumerism: Featured brands include Ford, Mercury Records, Kiehl's skincare products, and Travel Inn motel.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false1 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Ben and Emily drink wine at dinner.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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