MOVIE - 21 GRAMS - Review Rating $$$$$ $$$ (OUT OF 10)
STARRING - Sean Penn (Paul), Benicio Del Toro (Jack), Naomi Watts (Christina), Charlotte Gainsbourg (Mary), Melissa Leo (Marianne), Danny Huston (Michael) & Clea DuVall (Claudia).
DIRECTOR - Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Amores Perros)
76th Annual Academy Awards Nominations: Best Actress (Watts), Best Actor (Del Toro)
21 Grams is a movie that challenges the viewer philosophically and psychologically. It also challenges your patience. The first 45 minutes or so of the film are so meanderingly chaotic (oxymoron?) that you may be tempted to walk out in a state of total mystified frustration. If you can survive this celluloid test of endurance you will be rewarded. But be forewarned.
The source of the confusion is a nonlinear storytelling method, based on a life flashing before one's eyes, that takes the concept to its logical extreme. There is no apparent order or rationale to the snippets of sequences that unfold before you on the screen. For the longest time the threads that bind these sequences together are not readily apparent. This lack of connectivity leaves the viewer bewildered as to who exactly is who and who is doing exactly what to whom.
It's not that I'm opposed to the method employed, to reveal the details of the story, it's just that a disproportionate amount of energy must be spent attempting to discern what the heck is going on. I breathed an audibly side of relief when all became clear and I was able to focus on the movie's message rather than its methodology.
When what was murky becomes clear the viewer is treated to an unrelenting examination of the human heart. The first commonality that all the characters in 21 Grams share is that they have all gone through, or are going through, personal transformations with varying degrees of success. The more they strive to maintain the facade of purity they have created the harder it becomes to keep up appearances during times of stress.
21 Grams straddles the fence posts that bisect the discourse as to whether or not we can, as human beings, alter our own personal manifest destinies and overcome the hand that has been dealt us. I say straddle because the characters roughly equally succeed and fail in this regard and this forms the basis of the second source of commonality between them. Their personal growth is not altruistic. They require a reason to be better beings rather than just desiring to be better.
In many ways these injured soles have merely replaced one form of addiction, destructiveness, with another, righteousness. Without moderation this continued zealous pursuit leads more often to heartache than not. Its not that you should accept your shortcomings but 21 Grams can be viewed as a cautionary lesson that not acknowledging your limitations is highly problematic. Any plan of personal growth not based on realistic assessments is off to a very shaky start that may produce unintended consequences, including leaving you worse, or no better off, than you were before.
The performances in the movie are excellent. Personally, though Sean Penn was nominated as best actor for his role in Mystic River I think he does a better job of acting in this film. Naomi Watts demonstrates great talent as well. As for the debate regarding the Oscar for best actress I would still have to give the nod to Charlize Theron for her more demanding portrayal of a more psychologically complex character, Aileen Wournos, in Monster.
21 Grams is not easy viewing but it is worthy of the effort it takes to digest its insights into the human condition.
Running time - 125 minutes.
Check out my TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2003 & WORST MOVIES OF 2003 lists.
Alternative Reviews:
Roger Ebert's Review
Peter Travers / Rolling Stone Review
Rotten Tomatoes Reviews
21 GRAMS OFFICIAL WEB SITE
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© Copyright
2005
David Schwartz.
Last update:
2/28/05; 1:49:14 AM.
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