21 Grams (2003)

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Without a doubt this is one of the best I've ever seen. I'm writing this after watching it for the third time...I guessThis is another great movie from Iñárritu who i think is one of the best directors of recent era. If the story is stripped down to it's basic form its simple and we've seen movies showing that before but here it is turned into an extremely good screenplay and Iñárritu transformed it into an art.The acting is so good that I often felt like I'm witnessing real emotion screaming out of the screen. Everyone in this were amazing. Sean Penn, Naomi Watts & Benicio Del Toro was great at their roles. This is the best performance of Watts in my opinion and I was shocked to see her not winning an Oscar. I haven't seen Charlize's Monster. I hope its mighty good as she came on top over this amazing performance at the Oscar. Penn and Del Toro just increased my respect for them even more with their works here.The editing,the music and the cinematography was extraordinary. The sharp change of visual and musical tone corresponding to what's being told at this nonlinear storyline was just great.I liked everything about it. This is very good and I think every movie lovers should watch it at least once in their life

It starts slow so if you can bear with it for 1st 20 mins then you will not get chance to even hit a pause button , Its a dynamite.. The screenplay and cinematography is quite unique..U will be puzzled initially saying whats the hell is going around..!! But soon you will realize that 3 stories are running in parallel and stitched together wonderfully. Some scene will make you CRY and some will force you to think about life... The acting of all the characters just fascinating and so REAL...!!For the sake of cinema do not skip this movie if you hear the name 21 GRAMS...

When I first heard the title of this film, I assumed it was something to do with drug dealing or something, in fact the title refers to the amount of body weight supposedly lost at the moment of death, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Amores Perros, Babel, Birdman, The Revenant). Basically the story is told in a non-linear manner, and focuses on three unassociated and well-meaning but flawed characters who are brought together by a tragic car accident that changes their lives. Paul Rivers (BAFTA nominated Sean Penn) is a critically ill mathematician in a loveless marriage to English emigrant Mary (Nymphomaniac's Charlotte Gainsbourg), he has a fatal heart condition, Mary wants him to donate his sperm so she can have a baby after he dies. Cristina Peck (Oscar and BAFTA nominated Naomi Watts) is an upper-class suburban housewife and happily married homemaker with two young daughters, she is a recovering addict with a secret past of drug abuse and alcoholism. Jack Jordan (Oscar and BAFTA nominated Benicio Del Toro) is an ex-convict who has turned to the Christian faith, and in doing so has found strength to recover from drug and alcohol addiction, and he has raised a family. One evening the three are tied together when Jack kills Cristina's husband and children in a hit-and-run accident, her husband's heart is donated to Paul, who begins his recovery, Cristina is devastated and returns to drugs and alcohol, Jack is stricken with guilt and starts using drugs again, and while incarcerated he unsuccessfully attempts to suicide. In the time that follows, Cristina does not press charges against Jack, leaving prison Jack cannot incorporate himself into normal life, and leaves home to work in manual labour, and Paul finds an opportunity to meet Cristina, she is unaware of the heart donation, they form a close and eventually ignite a relationship. Cristina is furious when she finds out the surgery, and forces him, but eventually reconsiders, needing each other they continue their relationship, but his new heart is rejecting the heart transplant, the outlook looks grim, Cristina starts to dwell on the tragic past, and becomes obsessed with exacting revenge on Jack. Paul is goaded by Cristina to murdering Jack, using the same private detective that found Cristina, Paul finds Jack, but holding him at gunpoint he is unable to kill him, Paul tells him to "just disappear", but Jack later returns, still feeling guilty for the heartache he has caused, he wants Paul to kill him, there is a struggle, it ends with Paul collapsing and shooting himself. Jack and Cristina rush Paul to hospital, despite telling he shot Paul, Jack is released by the police, Paul dies, and the conflict between Cristina and Jack stays unresolved, Cristina finds out she is pregnant and prepares for a new baby, and Jack returns to his family. Also starring The Fighter's Melissa Leo as Marianne Jordan, Eddie Marsan as Reverend John, Clea DuVall as Claudia, Danny Huston as Michael, Paul Calderon as Brown and Denis O'Hare as Dr. Rothberg. Penn, Watts and Del Toro are fine acting talents, and each give splendid performances, the story with three lives brought together by an accident is cleverly done, with good themes of faith and redemption, it is unusual to have events before and after the event not playing in chronological order, but it is edited in a way that you can still understand what goes in what order, an interesting drama. It was nominated the BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing. Very good!

Life at times can be so confusing that it is questioned constantly to the point of utter and unsolvable frustration. In more primitive times, we often dissected the idea of the soul to the basis of a religious aspect, with God being the initial cause behind it, believing that it would last forever. That was then, and in our present time, the concept of a higher being is used for simply emotional and spiritual matters, rather than for scientific progression. It's not a proposition to dismiss, but something that can't be tested in ways to draw valuable conclusions. The title of 21 Grams, is based on the research of Dr. Duncan MacDougall, a twentieth century physician who tried to prove the existence of the immortal human soul. His experiments involved using patients who were on the verge of death. At the time of death, his first patient lost three fourths of an ounce, which Duncan felt was more accurate, as it accumulated to twenty one grams. The other patients had varying measurements. Skepticism was drawn as to whether his research was accurate, or in the proper direction, but aside from the measurements, 21 Grams is more of a philosophically themed film, rather than one basing its premise on a scientific hypothesis as though it were an accurate fact. It is a brilliant and captivating drama nevertheless, directed by Alejandro Gonzalez, and it examines the lives of three individuals who are all brought together by a tragedy. Very much like Innarritu's directorial debut Amores Peros, 21 Grams is told in a nonlinear narrative, with more disorientation, and with equally compelling performances that test the true potential of its lead actors, as they capture the pain and dysfunction of characters, who often crumble when faced with the notion of death, in a world where life will always be a mystery worth questioning. The film's plot centers on three characters, who are all on the verge of death. Paul (Penn) is a mathematics professor who needs a heart transplant, otherwise he'll die. Christina (Watts) is a recovering addict who is shown to be going back on drugs. And Jack (Del Toro) is an ex-con who finds solace in Christianity, regardless of how extreme a path he follows, so long as it suppresses his animalistic nature. At first each character's life seems basic and stable, given their circumstances, but as the result of a horrid car crash, a chain of events is triggered that brings all three of these characters into confronting a truth that sill baffles human beings to this very day in the focus of its acceptance. Being a recovering addict, Christina is shown at an A.A. meeting, expressing her gratitude for her two daughters and husband Michael (Huston), believing that without them, she would never have been able to conquer her addiction. Sadly that reality comes to pass as they are killed in a car accident, with Jack being the driver. As a result, Michael's death does not go to waist, as his heart is donated to Paul. Despite his fortune though, Paul feels forever changed with his new heart. He tries to brush off the feeling, and continue his life, but it initially continues to reemerge, given that he now questions his identity, which is something we constantly do within our existence. After turning himself, Jack's faith is tested, and even decimated to the point of an attempted suicide. At times, he believes he was chosen for a purpose. Other times, he curses God enough to quote the most sinister verses in the bible, and reinterpret the mind, rather than the flesh being hell. Christina on the other hand turns back to drugs, while reacting with violent aggression. Her family tries to help her cope with her loss, telling her that in the face of death, life still goes on. Christina rejects this, believing it to be nonsense, while succumbing to her own paralysis, while frequently using drugs to numb her pain even more. Paul simply follows Christina, out of a curiosity to understand who he is now, knowing that he has someone else's heart, as if that person's essence lives on inside him. When these characters do collide, then more chaos ensues, as they embark on their own paths of self-destruction. The resolutions are left with open ended conclusions, and simply the idea that regardless of how much tranquility and suffering takes place, life must go on. It is the circle of life and the face of death. It all goes in that of a cycle. But then again, 21 Grams doesn't really answer any questions. It merely supplements its ambiguity with its complex and disoriented narrative as a means of strengthening its chaotic theme. The performances by Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, and Benicio Del Toro are so dysfunctional, that to believe their suffering has an actual point would be an obtuse way of looking at the story. It seems as though Innarritu's intention is to create a film where there is no definitive answer, other than, this is how things are, and the only thing people can do, regardless of the circumstances is accept them and move forward. A film like 21 Grams does not give a more clear and concise answer. It simply plays on the mystery of the question, using the weight of the soul as one of the factors of our curiosity. Where it originates from, or where it goes after is a compelling mystery indeed, as it sums up the notion of existence to a dilemma that involves love, joy, pain, and suffering beyond comprehension. In the middle of the film, Jack's wife, played by Mellissa Leo says that, "life goes on with or without God." It's a sad, but true statement, and a film as depressing as 21 Grams does offer a sense of hope in this cluster of confusion, but merely within the questioning we still endow upon ourselves as we continue to seek answers and experience the sensation of life.