Rating: Summary: Wait for the Special Edition Review: The movie is good but for the price its total robbery. There are no extras, trailers,commentary...ziltch..nothing. Just the movie which for the average price of $20. is robbery.
Rating: Summary: Awesome acting performances Review: Director Alejandro Inarritu strikes gold with his amazing triumvirate of life experiences that merge to create the plot of "21 Grams". Housewife Naomi Watts loses her husband and two young daughters in a hit and run accident perpetrated by career criminal and born again ex-con Benicio Del Toro. Watts' husband's demise provides the heart for transplant for Sean Penn who is dying of heart failure. After the operation Penn grows tired of his lukewarm and childless marriage and begins to pursue Watts. She goes ballistic when learns that Penn is the transplant recipient. They eventually bond and plot to evoke vengeance against the devastated and remorseful Del Toro.The acting performances by the three major players were absolutely superb. Penn and Del Toro with Oscars already on their resumes are already well established. Watts however was the star of the show. Her portrayal was unexpectedly magnificent and possibly more impressive than Charlize Theron's Oscar winning performance in Monster.
Rating: Summary: is 21 grams the weight of guilt... Review: that whoever decided to release this bare bones dvd feels? i hope it more like 21 tons. this is one of the best films i have ever seen, yet the very worst dvd i have ever bought. at the very very least, a trailer? come on now! not a SINGLE thing? i hope my buying it will cast a vote towards a special edition in the future, and then i can sell this one. and what is with the little snaps on the opening side of the case? very odd.
Rating: Summary: Heart & Soul Review: I bought this the other night...I had been debating for weeks on whether I should get it or not. To me it doesn't have that similarity of Memento. I still enjoyed getting wrapped up in the story. The deaths of the husband & children took too long to show{for me} so by the time it was gonna show I didn't wanna see it. I truly enjoyed it & regret not watching it in the theaters first.
Rating: Summary: Excellent; One of the year's best Review: 2003 belongs to Sean Penn. He gave two of the best performances of the year in two of the year's best movies, Mystic River (for which he won the Best Actor Oscar) and 21 Grams. 21 Grams, however, has gotten far less attention than Clint Eastwood's film. I, personally, find it the better of the two. It was directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, director of the excellent Amores Perros from 2000, and it bears the mark of its skilled director. In 21 Grams, as in Amores Perros, Inarritu handles heavy subject matter - life, death, loss and regret, and weaves seperate storylines together. I don't want to talk about the story, but Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro play three characters all connected by a tragic incident. The acting is uniformly excellent. The leads give three big staggering performances that are incredibly moving. Alejandro Inarritu does a solid job directing, giving the film a distinct look and feel that separates it from more mainstream fare. He has the potential to be a major director and I can't wait to see what he's doing for his next film. There has been some debate over whether or not it was necessary to tell the story out of chronological order. I don't think 21 Grams would be a lesser film if it were told in chronological order, but do I think it does contribute to feel of the movie. It gives us somewhat of a sense of confusion and helplessness like that of the characters'. I also like the way that the structure makes the film a series of individual moments without concern for time. I feel that 21 Grams is one of the best movies of 2003. Anyone who is looking for a gripping, exhilarating, moving film experience need look no further. If you are looking for bland, mindless entertainment, this is not it. This is a powerful film of real emotional substance. It is not a "fun" movie. If you appreciate real filmmaking with brilliant and honest acting, 21 Grams will be a riveting, unforgettable experience.
Rating: Summary: (3.5 stars) Brilliant acting; disjointed presentation. Review: Everyone loses exactly 21 grams at the moment of death....This is the myth from which the title was drawn, and it hints at the "heart" of the movie. 21 Grams is a study of death, life, and grief. A heart transplant recipient (Penn) seeks information about his donor, and in so doing becomes involved with the donor's widow (Watts). Del Toro plays the ex-con who links them, as he is the man responsible for the death of Watts' husband and two daughters. Penn and Watts are both seeking reaffirmation of life, and find this in eachother. They share love, grief, death, and ultimately life again. Del Toro also makes a similar journey, dealing with grief and guilt, and then returning to life. In the end, life must go on for those left behind. The main characters are beautifully acted, and fans of Watts, Penn, and Del Toro will not be disappointed. The movie loses it's appeal in it's presentation: beginning at the end, then jumping back and forth in time and perspective, it is extremely difficult to follow for the first half hour. The viewer is forced to hold on for the ride, hoping everything will sort itself out and make sense at some point (which it does). Overall a good to very good movie for mature audiences. Nudity, sexuality, adult situations. Not recommended for teens.
Rating: Summary: If you love depression and confusion... Review: There are plenty of reviews here that relate the storyline, so I just want to mention two things about this movie that will affect your decision on whether to watch it or not. First, this movie is VERY depressing. It's about death, disease, and the destruction of lives. If you think you're subjected to enough of that stuff out here in the real world, don't watch it! Second, this movie is not linear. It jumps around A LOT, and you will probably not fully understand where everything ties in until at least halfway through. It is NOTHING like Memento. That movie, while backwards, was linear, and after the first few scenes, it was easy to figure out the method. If you're like me and lose interest easily, you probably won't finish 21 Grams. I know a lot of people liked this film, but these are two very strong factors you should consider before you spend your money or time on this one.
Rating: Summary: Wish I could give this 21 stars...(pardon the corny pun) Review: I loved this film. It reminded me of Memento, and it used that certain style of editing and a puzzling storyline to bring everything together in the end, flawlessly. The performances by the entire cast were just amazing. Naomi Watts deserved that Oscar! I had no idea that she had that kind of acting in her. Benecio Del Toro was also amazing, even more so here than in TRAFFIC. His character was probably the most complex and you could really connect with him in a way. If you like films that put you through an emotional rollercoaster and twist your mind thrice times a million times, I'd recommend this. HIGHLY recommended!
Rating: Summary: It Will Change Your Life Review: This movie changed my life. I went and saw it with some family and the theater was an hour away from hour, and i was speechless the whole way back. The film has an incredible ability to make you reflect on your own life and understand how fragile life can truly be. Everything about the film is great: the directing (they only people that don't appreciate the directing simply don't understand it), the acting, everything. Watch this movie!!!
Rating: Summary: Quantifying Life Review: 21 grams is a movie that tells us what life really means, or I should say how much the notion of being alive occupies in your bodies. The movie's title roots on a saying that we all lose 21 grams when we die, so what makes up the 21 grams? The movie quantifies the weight of being alive for the audience. We live in fact to frogive, to hope and to repent. Paul Rivers (Sean Penn) suffers from a disease and is on the waiting list for a heart transplant. Jack Jordon (Benici Del Toro), an ex-con who submits his life to the hand of God after being a diverse criminal in his adolescene. Cristina Peck (Naomi Watts) is a wife who has just lost her husband her beloved daughters in a car accident. The movie belends the lives of these three people together and try to weigh the notion of living in two hours. The editing and cinematography, or even the narrative techniques remind me of the postmodern detective movie, Memento. The acting of the actors and actresses in the movie really stir up a chemical effect in the weighing process. This movie is highly recommended to those who like drama and have been searching for the meaning of life. You won't get a didactic lesson afterwards, but at least you know that 21 grams in your body weight actually mean something more than yourself.
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