Respect Authority

It’s not that I begrudge Will Smith his attempts at highbrow acting; in fact I’m all for an established actor taking the risks only available to those with a handful of solid movies under their belt. Smith one-liner-ed his way to a stardom that now affords him the opportunity to make less secure decisions, and to put out a few duds. But those duds should still make a little bit of sense.

According to IMDB, Smith’s latest movie, Seven Pounds, is about an IRS agent who becomes deeply depressed after the death of his wife. After deciding to kill himself, Ben (played by Smith) elects to help seven struggling individuals before going through with it and, surprise surprise, falls in love with one of them.

All things considered, the plot isn’t that far-fetched or original. My real issue is that you’d know almost none of this from watching the preview. While it’s clear Smith is embarking on some sort of altruistic mission to help others, the first two times I saw the trailer I was under the impression some sort of freaky car crash left him with super powers that enabled him to offer that help. Superpowers, not overwhelming guilt and a desire to end it all. The trailer mostly shows Smith looking determined, or stern, or motivated - and five whole seconds of a 30-second television trailer is devoted to showing him running in the rain. Seriously, five seconds - two different shots. That’s 1/6th of the preview and unless 1/6th of this movie is spent on shots of Will Smith running while drenched, it’s unfathomable to me why editors thought those scenes integral to viewers’ first perceptions of the film.

Maybe because Hancock came and went without anyone batting an eye, I’m stuck with the perception that Will Smith is making “some superhero movie” next. Or maybe I’m just bitter because the once-Fresh Prince is remaking The Karate Kid - with his own son in the lead role. But really - IRS agents? Guilt over spousal loss? Selfless acts of kindness? A terminally ill Rosario Dawson? If this isn’t pandering to the Academy then I don’t know what is.