21 Grams (2003)

Superbly acted, moving from beginning to end

The story line reveal itself by a series of multiple flashes that all add up to make a very compelling cinematic experience. Touching, moving human
drama. September 6, 2008

Alejandro's follow up to "Amores Perros"

I'm hard put whether to give this alternately depressing and enlightening film a 3 or 4 star rating, but closer to a 4 since the three leads are superb and this film has more substance than a lot of the films currently out there. In a nutshell, it tells of 3 people interlinked to a tragedy involving a car crash (in narrative, very similiar to the director's first, "Amores Perros") and how they eventually finally confront each other in an dynamic finale. Sean Penn must have had a great year, acting-wise, since this film and "Mystic River" netted him an Academy Award, a Golden Globes, and Best Actor by the National Board of Review (a poll by all the leading film critics in the country). Watts and del Toro are also superb in their pivotal roles and the title itself refers to the weight applied to one's life when it begins!! July 13, 2008

Sean Penn's best.

This movie get's 4.5/5 from me, but I gave it 5 to benefit its overall rating.

21 Grams is an extraordinary film, and I'm surprised I had not heard of it before I saw it, as it totes some of the best performances I've seen of Naomi Watts, Benicio Del Toro, and especially Sean Penn.

This is one of the only movies that has truly emotionally affected me... I finished this movie emotionally worn out. Its story and art direction are flawless, and the editing makes everything work: it's done in a Pulp Fiction style, where the pieces of the story are shown out of order and it doesn't fit together perfectly until the very end.

The .5 off is because there are still a couple scenes that are not perfect.

In conclusion this is an excellent film that I would recommend to anyone who doesn't just like blockbuster action movies. I'm eager to see the director's other work. July 1, 2008

One unbelievable character

In the beginning, this film is interesting and otherwise very good, but Sean Penn's character makes the movie unwatchable. He is portrayed as a previous transplant recipient who must undergo the procedure again, yet he is constantly smoking. What surgeon, under similar conditions, would operate on him? May 25, 2008

Hyped Garbage

I hated this movie. It was so slow and annoying, filled with over-the-top acting and a story that jumps all over the place. I understand that the directing was different because the movie goes back and forth through time to explain the story, but this wasn't interesting to me. It just served to confuse and make the movie move along at a snail's pace. The more Sean Penn films I see, the more I am starting to think that he ain't so great. Naomi Watts was so annoying in this movie and I'm sorry, but I felt no sympathy for her at all. Benicio Del Toro was great, but he is great in everything so it was no surprise that he did a great job in his role. Ultimately, this is a slow movie that is way overrated. I didn't enjoy this film and was very happy when it was over. I give it 2 stars because it tried to do something different. April 20, 2008

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