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21 Grams

  • 20032003
  • RR
  • 2h 4m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
239K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,239
90
21 Grams (2003)
Trailer
Play trailer1:36
2 Videos
54 Photos
CrimeDramaThriller
A freak accident brings together a critically ill mathematician, a grieving mother, and a born-again ex-con.A freak accident brings together a critically ill mathematician, a grieving mother, and a born-again ex-con.A freak accident brings together a critically ill mathematician, a grieving mother, and a born-again ex-con.
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
239K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,239
90
    • Alejandro G. Iñárritu
    • Guillermo Arriaga
  • Stars
    • Sean Penn
    • Benicio Del Toro
    • Naomi Watts
    • Alejandro G. Iñárritu
    • Guillermo Arriaga
  • Stars
    • Sean Penn
    • Benicio Del Toro
    • Naomi Watts
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 601User reviews
    • 171Critic reviews
    • 70Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars

    Videos2

    21 Grams
    Trailer 1:36
    Watch 21 Grams
    21 Grams
    Trailer 1:44
    Watch 21 Grams

    Photos54

    Melissa Leo in 21 Grams (2003)
    Benicio Del Toro, Melissa Leo, Marc Musso, and Teresa Delgado in 21 Grams (2003)
    Melissa Leo in 21 Grams (2003)
    Benicio Del Toro in 21 Grams (2003)
    Alejandro G. Iñárritu in 21 Grams (2003)
    Melissa Leo in 21 Grams (2003)
    Benicio Del Toro and Melissa Leo in 21 Grams (2003)
    Rodrigo Prieto and Alejandro G. Iñárritu in 21 Grams (2003)
    Sean Penn and Charlotte Gainsbourg in 21 Grams (2003)
    Sean Penn in 21 Grams (2003)
    Sean Penn in 21 Grams (2003)
    Charlotte Gainsbourg in 21 Grams (2003)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sean Penn
    Sean Penn
    • Paul Rivers
    Benicio Del Toro
    Benicio Del Toro
    • Jack Jordan
    Naomi Watts
    Naomi Watts
    • Cristina Peck
    Danny Huston
    Danny Huston
    • Michael
    Carly Nahon
    Carly Nahon
    • Cathy
    Claire Pakis
    • Laura
    Nick Nichols
    • Boy
    Charlotte Gainsbourg
    Charlotte Gainsbourg
    • Mary Rivers
    John Rubinstein
    John Rubinstein
    • Gynecologist
    Eddie Marsan
    Eddie Marsan
    • Reverend John
    Loyd Keith Salter
    • Fat Man
    Antef A. Harris
    • Basketball Guy
    Melissa Leo
    Melissa Leo
    • Marianne Jordan
    Marc Musso
    Marc Musso
    • Freddy
    • (as Marc Thomas Musso)
    Teresa Delgado
    Teresa Delgado
    • Gina
    Trent Dee
    Trent Dee
    • Guard
    • (as Terry Dee Draper)
    Tony Guyton
    • Guard #2
    Wayne E. Beech Jr.
    • Inmate #1
      • Alejandro G. Iñárritu
      • Guillermo Arriaga
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film was shot almost completely with hand-held cameras.
    • Goofs
      When the Private Investigator gives Paul the revolver, he flips it open to show that it is loaded. He then spins the cylinder and we hear a ratcheting sound. When a revolver is open, there is no ratchet mechanism connected to the cylinder...it rotates freely and silently.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Paul Rivers: How many lives do we live? How many times do we die? They say we all lose 21 grams... at the exact moment of our death. Everyone. And how much fits into 21 grams? How much is lost? When do we lose 21 grams? How much goes with them? How much is gained? How much is gained? Twenty-one grams. The weight of a stack of five nickels. The weight of a hummingbird. A chocolate bar. How much did 21 grams weigh?

    • Crazy credits
      Thanks to ÁLos amo!
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: 21 Grams/The Singing Detective/Looney Tunes: Back in Action/Gothika/Tupac Resurrection (2003)
    • Soundtracks
      Can We Get Together
      (2003)

      Written by Renee Funderburgh, Anson Funderburgh and John Street

      Performed by Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets (as Anson Funderburgh and Rockets)

      Licensed courtesy of Bullseye Blues & Jazz, a Rounder Records Group label

      By Arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group

    User reviews601

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Absorbing and powerful direction & acting; the story structure was less than great
    Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu made a well-deserved leap into the renown film-making pool with Amores Perros, and his follow up 21 Grams shows him with plenty of talent to spare. He also gets three (or more, depends on how effective one thinks the supporting performance were) forceful, compelling performances out of Sean Penn, Benicio Del-Torro, and Naomi Watts. They're involved in three interlocking stories- Penn as a mathematician with a rottening health and a near-rottening relationship; Del-Torro's found Jesus Christ after being in and out of jail for part of his life; Watts is a house-wife who may have some deep troubles within her mind. Each of the three leads doesn't go for cheap drama, and each one plunges the depths of their own abilities to find truths that might not be possible with lesser material or a lesser director. I won't say much more about the stories, however I do have something to say about the structure of the film. The script brings some mesmerizing scenes, ones with great tragedy that bring out a viewer's compassion.

    Never-the-less, there was something about the structure that I didn't think was all that great. In films like Once Upon a Time in America, Reservoir Dogs, and even Memento, the scrambled story structure had a purpose, adding appropriate twists and turns for the audience. 21 Grams (like Amores Perros in a sense) has that non-linear basis to it too, and sometimes it works for the audience to react. But I think there would be a lot more power to how these characters' fates and tragedies unfold if it was told linearly from start to finish. In many moments in the film I found myself knowing a little too much before a particular scene unfolded, or I found myself guessing about something that I didn't need to (one of the points of non-linear storytelling is answers first, questions later). It wasn't an aspect that made the film bad, yet the stock that writer Guillermo Arriaga and director Inarritu put into this structure over interlocking the stories in order, or perhaps telling each story separately, is the film's only drawback.
    helpful•90
    37
    • Quinoa1984
    • Jan 3, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 16, 2004 (United States)
      • United States
      • Bim Distribuzione (Italy)
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Memphis, Tennessee, USA
    • Production companies
      • This Is That Productions
      • Y Productions
      • Mediana Productions Filmgesellschaft
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 4 minutes
      • Color
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital

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