HOLLYWOOD POV: "Seven Pounds"

Two-time Academy-Award nominee Will Smith was the highest paid actor in Hollywood from June 2007 through June 2008, according to Forbes Magazine. Will made $80 million last year, coming in at 6 mil more than second place Johnny Depp, and earned $25 mil more than third place Eddie Murphy.

The almost obscene amount of money he earned was almost worth it to the studios who hired him because he is currently the only star who can open a big tent pole films these days and really bring out a big audience to the all-important opening weekend box office. I expect no less for his current pic, SEVEN POUNDS, even though the subject matter is dark and melancholy and you might find your eyes dripping throughout.

Will clearly lusts after the one thing he has not yet achieved, an Academy Award for Best Actor. And though I honestly don't expect he will grab a nom this year for his work in SEVEN POUNDS, he is certainly serving notice with an excellent restrained performance as a man determined to change the lives of seven strangers. I won't spoil the films' plot for you so read on.

I've been a fan of Will Smith's ever since he first began recording with DJ Jazzy Jeff back when he was a teenager so it's a real thrill to see him so successful. In SEVEN POUNDS Will plays Ben Thomas, a depressed IRS agent with a haunting secret who,as the film opens, seems to be stalking random people.

He's got a list of names of seven people: Ben Thomas, Holly Apelgren, Connie Tepos, George Ristuccia, Nicholas Adams, Ezra Turner and Emily Posa. They have nothing in common except that they have all reached a life changing turning point in their lives and don't have the means or the ability to change things for the better. Enter Ben Thomas. He has carefully chosen each person to be a part of his plan of redemption, but one of them, the beautiful but fragile cardiac patient Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson), almost turns his life upside down. For more you'll just have to see SEVEN POUNDS yourself.

Those who had a wonderful childhood might find SEVEN POUNDS only to be a memorable MFTV (made for TV) film while finding it a bit too melodramatic. On the other hand, those who grew up in troubled families, in no family at all, or in painful circumstances might find themselves weeping solidly for the entire length of the film... as I did. Will Smith gives a remarkably painful performance as a man who can't live with himself after a terrible tragedy involving the

death of his wife and his feelings and emotions are felt deeply by Will the actor as well as the audience.

Will talked about the reason he took on this role in an article in Newsweek:

"Usually with the films that I make there are ideas that I connect to, but lately I've been dealing with the bittersweet in life because it feels more natural. You don't ever get it really the way you want in life. That really fascinates me. As an actor there are certain parts of a character that you create, and you train yourself to have those reactions and then it becomes hard to stop them when the role is over.  You have to retrain yourself. My character in this film is like hot grits. You know you can't shake them off and when you do, it hurts."

Director Gabriele Muccino, an Italian who also directed Will's last serious film, The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) tends his garden with restraint and care, leaving the audience in the dark about Ben Thomas' true endgame, though most might find themselves understanding what's coming next.

Seven pounds = 3.17514659 kilograms, which is also what the human brain is supposed to weigh. That might give you a clue as to the plot, but that's all I'll give you. SEVEN POUNDS might not be the kind of holiday movie your whole family will want to see together, but it is a profoundly moving experience starring one of the most talented and successful male movie stars working today and definitely deserves your hard-earned movie bucks.