Can a movie live past it’s twist? That is to say if you already guessed the surprise ending of a film before it ends, can it still be insightful and entertaining? Many see to think so. Films like ‘The Sixth Sense’ ‘Fight Club’ and ‘Planet of the Apes’ all seem to be good, rewatchable movies even if there was no twist ending. But when a movie seems to be building up the entire plot towards the twist ending, you had better be sure that twist ending pays off and with a bang. The movie ‘Seven Pounds’ does not. Instead we get a movie that means well and is performed well, but ultimately adds up to less than is promised.

The film stars an IRS representative named Ben Thomas (Will Smith), so seems to have a secret that pushes him to follow and analyze two people. One is blind telephone operator named Ezra (Woody Harrelson), and the other is a woman suffering from heart problems named Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson). Ben makes phone calls, watches from a far, and sometimes even manages to walk up and confront these people in person. What’s he looking for? The movie shrouds that answer in secrecy as Ben keeps most of his plans a secret. To Ezra, he’s just a stranger, but to Emily he’s keeping up on her medical payments and how much she is drawing from the government.

Sympathetic though, Ben decides not to take action and instead tries to help her through her physical and financial problems. Why? Cause he’s got the hots for her bad, of course. As they spend more and more time together they seem to share a very special bond; they both have/are in the process of losing something special to them. As the film goes on we don’t learn much of Ben’s plan, instead we focus mostly on his relationship with Emily and how they connect with one another. When the time finally comes though, Ben is ready to act and knows what he has to do, which results in a rather underwhelming and somewhat predictable conclusion. I of course won’t give it away, but it does not live up to the hype that not just the advertising but the movie itself has built up.

Now that doesn’t mean this is a horrible movie. It did manage to keep my interest and I did always find myself wanting to know what was going to happen next. But unlike other films with twist endings, this one banks everything on how it’s going to end. The mystery is in Ben’s plan, and his plan, when revealed, is not very interesting. The performances are very similar. Watching the film I was very much drawn in by Will Smith and Rosario Dawson’s performances, but now that I know what it all added up to, the performances seem a little overdone. I enjoyed it while watching it, but I don’t think they mix well after the secret is revealed. Harrelson’s appearance seems almost pointless as he’s only in the movie for a couple of minutes, which makes the cameo more of a distraction than it does a performance. Perhaps if they focused more on the other people whose lives he was planning to effect instead of just these two, the film would have been more meaningful and strong.

Ultimately, it’s secrecy is what destroys it. It’s ironic because the film truly didn’t need to be told in such a secret way. If the film was more straight forward and focused on the depth, sacrifice, and commitment of what he was doing instead of turning it into a gimmick, the film might have been very powerful. For what it is, it’s just a teaser, making it hard for us to be fully invested in these characters as most of the time we’re too distracted trying to figure out what they’re up to. It’s sort of like alerting people of a massive explosion and instead get a small firecracker. The firecracker was pretty, but it was not what you were promised.

So who’ll like it? I suppose anyone just looking for an ‘okay’ drama that keeps you invested through the majority of the film will probably deem it worth seeing. If your philosophy is “It’s the journey not the ending” you might enjoy this movie alright, just don’t expect it to live up to its own hype.

Who won’t like it? Anyone who doesn’t like to be built up and then let down. If you’re a stickler for a good pay off and don’t like to wait through story and characters to get to it, stay away at all costs.

My thoughts? It’s hard to say this is a bad movie, but there’s not really anything that great or groundbreaking in it either. It’s a movie that just sort of came and went, leaving very little impression on me. I don’t regret seeing it, but I don’t know if I can really tell people to pay $7-$9 to go see it. I was reminded of ‘Citizen Kane,’ another movie that built up much on its surprise ending and what everything added up to. ‘Kane’ is remembered for its surprise ending, but it’s also remembered for its depth, characters, story, symbolism, and groundbreaking artistry that changed the world of film forever. ‘Seven Pounds’ will most likely struggle just to be remembered.

Douglas Darien is a featured writer for Xomba.com. Read the rest of his work here or visit his website www.thatguywiththeglasses.com.