21 Grams (2003) User Reviews (606)

First engrossing, then moving

[kylopod · 9/10 · 5 November 2005]

Many movies in the modern era have experimented with fractured chronology, but most of the time this technique is used for entertainment purposes only. "21 Grams" is an intense and thoughtful film enriched by this technique, taken to an extreme I've never seen before. We're not talking "Pulp Fiction" here, where a small series of vignettes are arranged out of sequence. Every individual scene in "21 Grams" seems to be distributed almost at random anywhere in the film. You have to concentrate when seeing this film for the first time, because you'll have trouble figuring out what's going on, and even as a plot starts to emerge, some of the details won't be understandable until the very end. But it pays off: this isn't like "Memento" or "Mulholland Drive," where you may need multiple viewings to understand it all. By the end of this film, the story turns out to be quite straightforward. It's like seeing a gigantic jigsaw puzzle gradually pieced together.

Unlike many other films that use this sort of device, "21 Grams" is a character drama, not a psychological thriller. The story would still work if it were told in chronological order. Why the scenes are arranged as they are is not altogether clear, on the surface. I felt like I was watching a mystery, but after everything came together it became evident that none of the mystery was contained in the plot itself. This fact has led some critics to suggest that the scrambled scene arrangement is nothing more than a cute gimmick designed to make the film more engaging. But I believe that the device does serve a legitimate purpose, by drawing out the complexity of the characters and their situations.

Life is not good for the three principal characters, and it isn't getting better. Sean Penn plays a 40-something man with a failing heart, Naomi Watts plays a young woman facing great tragedy, and Benicio Del Toro plays an ex-con consumed by guilt. Penn and Watts come off as ordinary individuals reacting as anyone might under the circumstances, but Del Toro's character is particularly fascinating. He's been rehabilitated through religion, but he's still far from perfect. As a father, he has a scary presence that makes him seem borderline abusive at times. But he has developed a powerful conscience. Is he right to hate himself for what he did? The movie never answers that question. I just appreciated that the film resisted the temptation to make him into a caricature. He is neither hero nor villain. He is simply understandable on a very basic human level, as are the other two characters.

We have the feeling that Watts and Penn are wrong to condemn him as strongly as they do. They do not understand his situation, or that he's suffering just about as much as they are. On the other hand, we as viewers can perfectly understand where Watts is coming from. That's what makes the scrambled scene arrangement so effective: it never allows any one character to gain our total sympathy. By the time we've sorted out the plot threads, we've identified with all three characters on an emotional level while at the same time understanding their faults. These people are trapped in their own limited worlds, and with our omniscient viewpoint we can scarcely blame any one of them for their feelings or actions. We can see clearly what these characters cannot, which is that they are more victims of cruel fate than people who are truly guilty of anything.

What is the movie's message? That people shouldn't be so quick to judge others? That could be one interpretation, but what's nice about the film is that it doesn't hammer this lesson into us. It just tells a moving and stirring tale about complex characters, and viewers can take from it what they please. The title refers to a parapsychological belief about the weight of the human soul, and it's used in this film as a metaphor for the fragility of life. If life is fragile, then it's also precious, and people need not waste their time on vengeance.

Structure over unity

[paul2001sw-1 · 7/10 · 23 November 2007]

'21 Grams' tells of a number of loosely interlinked characters in an achronological fashion, jumping backwards and forwards over their stories. There can be reasons for doing this: for example, to reveal the plot in a way that offers an extra kick, or to enable the plot to conclude with a scene from the middle of the story that gains impact from the viewer's prior acquaintance with what happens next. Quentin Tarantino's 'Pulp Fiction' justified its own complex plot structure on both of these grounds. But in the case of this film, I couldn't see how telling the story in such a broken way was supposed to add anything; and the fact that most of the leading characters possess a death wish (or at least, very little will to go on living) hardly aided my emotional involvement. At times, the film appeared to be shaping into a story about the possibility (or otherwise) of redemption; but it never quite grew into anything more the harrowing tale of a number of people who suffer and (in some cases) die. The pretentious voice-over from Sean Penn's character that ends the film (and accounts for its title) felt to me like a desperate (and failed) attempt to inject some meaning into a movie strangely devoid of it.

That said, the acting is good, and the film is undoubtedly skilfully made. But "people die" is not, in itself, an adequate or interesting unifying theme.

Putting the Pieces Together

[thegouch23 · 9/10 · 4 November 2004]

A movie directed in inimitable style, Inarritu's 21 Grams is a provocative, deeply moving filmic work that explores several fundamental questions: What is a life, what is its value, and can we place a value on it? Directed in a series of small, seemingly disconnected fragments that come together as the film progresses, the film is thus shot in a style deeply unfamiliar to American moviegoers. At the beginning, most American viewers will find the choppy, nonlinear timeline distracting and frustrating - a cinematic form of coitus interruptus where once on the verge of revealing an underlying plot concept, the fragment abruptly stops and is picked up at an unrelated point. This style continues throughout, but don't worry. The answers do come after a while.

It is worth noting that the actual storyline, when told linearly, is not as gripping as when told in this style. The linear form would resemble a typical mindless story of the wounded seeking revenge. The way Inarritu constructs the story allows him to give the viewer a sense of where various characters are at the same time without the appearance of repetition. It allows moviegoers to see actual events first, then form associations later. There is a sense of, "Oh, now I get it!" that would be conspicuously absent if 21 Grams were told linearly.

Moving on, the performances of the actors and actresses in the film are incredible. All are believable. The animalistic hatred of Christina Peck (Naomi Watts) for Jack Jordan (Benicio Del Toro), the deeply troubled father who regrets his big mistake and has become a born again Christian, is palpable throughout. Paul Rivers (Sean Penn) is genuine in his efforts to repay, literally, a life debt. The performances breathe further life into the series of events that 21 Grams attempts to chronicle.

By the film's ending, the entire tale of what has transpired is revealed to the viewer. Since key plot elements often appear in several of the disconnected sequences, they come to be points of reference that astute moviegoers can use to sort the rest of the plot. By the end, everything is complete. The title is finally put into context, and the attempt to answer the three previously mentioned fundamental questions is made. Yes, at the beginning, this movie may not seem to make much sense, and it may even be frustrating to watch. Still, resist the temptation to get up and leave the theater. Stick around and watch the whole thing. The pieces do ultimately fall into place. I promise. And besides, there's only one way to find out.

Extremely good, extremely powerful

[Collaroy-Beach · 10/10 · 21 March 2004]

I'm actually the opposite of a drama fan- but this movie really touched me, and although it's quite tough to take in, I loved it.

I think above all, one has to bow to Guillermo Arriaga, the writer, as "21 Grams" features probably the best script I've ever seen. I guess the story itself is not that new, but the way how it's done is simply excellent. The first, say, 30 minutes are just scraps- moments in the lives of the three main characters that mean absolutely nothing to the viewer (yet). Adding to that initial confusion is the fact that these scraps are not in temporal order so that in the beginning personally I wasn't sure I'd be able to follow- it was more like a music video that's just not making any sense at all. But then the pieces begin to come together just beautifully until in the end you can see the whole picture. Usually in these episode movies everything comes together at once somewhere in the middle of the film, but in "21 Grams" the viewer puts the pieces together one after another- like a jigsaw puzzle, and every bit as satisfying when everything's completed. This truly is a masterpiece script-wise, and I've never seen anything like it.

That brilliant script is supported by excellent actors. Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Benicio del Toro are delivering the most convincing acting performance I've ever witnessed. Like when Christina (Watts) screams at Paul (Penn) trying to get rid of all of her anger, frustration, grief and hate: I usually think these emotional outbursts don't seem real on screen, but in this movie it is just deeply touching. I haven't seen "Mystic River" yet, but if Sean Penn was as good as he is in "21 Grams" then the Oscar finally really went to someone who truly deserved it. And Benicio del Toro really is every inch the wonderful actor his reputation claims (I saw him for the first time but had heard a lot of him before, so I was very curious).

Finally, thank you, Mr. Inárritu for putting everything together this nicely. You've made a very impressing 100 % quality movie.

Esotercat's Riveting Review of "21 Grams"

[esotercat · 30 November 2003]

Some movies are like a novel. Some movies are like a poem. Some films have flashbacks and flash-forwards. Some, like `Memento,' stretch the boundaries of convention and take wild risks such as moving the drama from the end to the beginning. `21Grams' is a cinematic poetic explosion, shaking all the pieces hard as hell, and then tossing them in the air to fall at random. Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, he gives the audience the puzzle unraveled, demanding that we piece together the story from interlaced past, present and future events. It is part flashy gimmick, part artistic mastery, but always compelling.

This is not a film for either the faint of heart or lazy of mind. Nor is it for those who become frustrated by film that dares to step outside the linear plot and paint-by-numbers formula. The mishmash of past/present/future is allegorical in the sense that we all carry our past, all hinge our hearts on the future, and all struggle with a `present' as dotty and haunted as this film so wildly illustrates.

In `21 Grams' it is required that the viewer surrender. As in life, there is no control. I must admit that I became a bit antsy and pressed for answers when none were being provided. You are riveted by events and players that intermingle in a haphazard mishmash of time with a rebellious lack of structure. You can either go with the flow-or back out to your car. Since I saw only one person exit the theater, for any reason, in the 125 minutes running time, I conclude that the fully occupied theater was as riveted as I was, even to the point of extreme bladder control.

The performances are stunning. Sean Penn is always good, Benicio Del Toro solidifies his Oscar, and Naomi Watts is the big talent to watch. Her emotional honesty is beyond acting-I believed her to feel the pain she displayed.

The `plot' almost seems inconsequential. The film is about the depth of human feeling in our brief interplay between living and dying. It's about damnation and redemption, revenge and forgiveness, surrender and salvation. It offers no explanations. It merely illustrates the human experience in a trenchant manner that makes us aware that every minute of every day is a precarious drama that we look upon more lightly than we should. The dramatic cortex is the human heart-lost, gained, tormented, anguished and confused. The metaphorical context is the fleeting nature of each heart's temporal beat and our desperately valiant struggle to flesh out our mortal hearts' desires.

Not the easiest watch, but hugely rewarding

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 9 June 2017]

Alejandro González Iñárritu to me is an immensely talented director, with not a bad film (from personal opinion) in his filmography. Some films are better than others, 'Babel' to me is his weakest though still very good, but even when Iñárritu is not at his best he is still significantly better than many directors at their best and worst.

It is easy to see why '21 Grams' won't appeal to everybody. It is not an easy watch and there are many other films that have better replay value, but it is still a fine film, with so many great things, that both challenges and rewards those who love the film. '21 Grams' has a non-linear structure that can feel fragmented, and there are a couple of parts that are not as clear as it could have been and cause a little confusion. The ending also could have been better rounded off.

'21 Grams', as always with Iñárritu is a visual and technical marvel, with photography that's gritty, atmospheric, beautiful and intimate, clever editing and striking scenery. Iñárritu's direction is exemplary, with a breath taking vision, mastery of mood and taking risks and not holding back. The music is not amazing but it fits well.

The script in '21 Grams' is tense, poignant and thought-provoking, while most of the story is thematically and dramatically gripping with plenty of intensity and emotional impact as well as a suitably bleak tone. The characters are compellingly real.

Have nothing but praise for the acting, which is some of the best acting of that year. Sean Penn is splendid in one of his best performances, while Naomi Watts' performance is very close to a career-best. Best of all is Benico Del Toro who really gets into the complex meat of his character, an intense and moving performance that in no way falls into hamminess. Melissa Leo and Charlotte Gainsburg are fine too if not in the same league as the three leads.

Overall, challenging but rewarding. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Undone by Plodding Script

[kenjha · 6/10 · 5 October 2007]

Inarritu's considers "Amores Perros", this film, and "Babel" a trilogy on the themes of family and communication breakdown. "Amores Perros" is a fine film, brimming with energy and fresh ideas while "Babel" is an amazing piece of work, self-assured and highly engrossing. "21 Grams," the middle film is a big letdown, compared to its companions. Like the other two films, it plays with time and touches on multiple story lines. However, moving about in time only adds to the confusion of an already muddled story. Inarritu tries but cannot breathe much life into the weak and plodding script. The cast is good but the actors also fail to make their pathetic characters interesting.

A Small Taste of Tragedy and Beauty

[HardKnockLife210 · 9/10 · 20 December 2004]

When lives collide, often no one is around to witness the effects of the collision. Alejandro González Iñárritu, however, has captured the profound effects in 21 Grams. How much does life weigh? Iñárritu may not answer that question directly, but he does indirectly answer the question darkly and beautifully in 21 Grams.

21 Grams tells the story of three lives brought together by tragedy: the life of a very sick man (Penn), a mother who has lost much (Watts), and a Christian who has recently reformed his ways (Del Toro). Really, these characters and their once-"simple" lives are the focus of this film, and all three characters are mysterious and deep. Each of the three actors gives an excellent performance, but it is Watts who stands out in all her angst. All of them deserved Academy Award nominations, and Penn would've received one along with Watts and Del Toro if not for his incredible performance in Mystic River.

Arriaga's screenplay is incredible too, leaving the outcome inexplicable enough to be real and to make sense. Santaolalla's score is odd enough to fit the dark atmosphere that pervades the film, and stick around for the credits to hear Dave Matthews' fitting conclusion. Also, Prieto's and Procopio's cinematography is gritty enough to depict the unbearable anguish of the characters.

I would praise the direction as well, except that I do have one complaint regarding it. It is often so choppy and irregular that it causes the story to lose a tiny bit of its impact. Perhaps this choppiness fits the film too, but to me it was distracting.

Yet you should definitely check this one out for a sorrowful picture of torment, disgust, and a strange beauty.

Final Grade: A.

The nonlinear storytelling is unnecessary and the film as a whole is just so-so

[MovieAddict2016 · 6/10 · 28 April 2005]

I loved "Memento." The nonlinear storytelling was key to the story itself and as a result complimented the overall nature of the film; however, "21 Grams" features the same style of nonlinear narrative without having an actual point. This movie could just have easily been told in chronological order and it would have had the same effect. In fact, if one were to unravel it and place the scenes in order, I'm sure they'd find nothing to be surprised at: it's a fairly basic drama and the nonlinear elements, I think, are just a way of making it seem cleverer and more important than it actually is.

The performances, on the other hand, are superb. Sean Penn is excellent and Naomi Watts delivers her best yet. Benicio Del Toro is quite good as well (even if his character seemed a bit reminiscent of some earlier ones he'd played) and I felt sympathy for all three, especially Del Toro, as we realize everything that happened was a result of his trying to be wholesome and "clean." And it backfired enormously.

Overall "21 Grams" was a rather large disappointment when I saw it as I had heard so much hype about it. I didn't find the storytelling awe-inspiring or important, it just made the film seem showy and artificial, as if they were afraid it wouldn't be able to stand on its own as a motion picture without some type of gimmick.

Recommended, but don't expect too much.

Absorbing and powerful direction & acting; the story structure was less than great

[Quinoa1984 · 8/10 · 3 January 2004]

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.

A stylishly told story, though not entirely successful

[sme_no_densetsu · 7/10 · 7 June 2008]

"21 Grams" is like a puzzle. The pieces are continually being put in place but until it is complete you don't know exactly what you're looking at.

I won't synopsize the story in any way because putting it together for yourself is half of the film's appeal. However, I will say that, in the end, the story did not fully realize it's potential in my opinion. I got glimpses of interesting ideas throughout but the ending didn't really hammer home any kind of revelation for me.

The three principle actors (Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro & Naomi Watts) do a fine job of bringing the film to life with vivid, passionate performances. It is worth noting that both Watts and del Toro received well-deserved Oscar nominations for their work.

The direction by Alejandro González Iñárritu is well done, even though he favors hand-held camera-work, of which I'm not much of a fan. There is some striking imagery and one must also credit the editor in a film that uses such an unconventional story-telling approach. Also worth noting is the soundtrack which abounds in spare, dreamy instrumentation.

I would have rated this film higher if I could really connect with the story but I guess that, for me, some of the puzzle pieces are still missing. Perhaps others will be able to take away from this picture what I could not.

From the Director of Amores Perros

[nycritic · 8/10 · 10 April 2005]

An unlikely freak accident progressively brings three people together to a gripping yet tragic conclusion.

Using a non-linear exposition we are led through the three leads' existences and how one key moment changed their lives completely, and while this approach at times might hinder the film's emotional impact in lieu of cinematic technique, the story told in 21 GRAMS is nonetheless powerful thanks to the performances of Naomi Watts, Benicio Del Toro, and Sean Penn. Of the three there are no stand-outs: all bring their heart and soul into their roles and Sean Penn could have easily won the Academy Award for Best Actor for this film since here, his role is rather difficult as his is more a plot device that effectively develops motives to act the way he does later on, but since his approach is so underplayed and profoundly sad, lost at times, we feel for him even when we are led to understand his condition is fatal regardless. Watts is all-out powerful, and anyone who can recall her beginnings in grade-Z horror films will certainly see a strong actress here: to see her receive the news of her husband's death early on is a stand-alone (as an equally good Clea duVall looks on, horrified), haunting moment. Del Toro, on the other hand, has an incredible, unique way of communicating his great inner torment through little more than his sleepy eyes; I've never seen acting this subtle yet moving. Even though he's done something clearly horrible, we care more for him because of his absolute, sincere change: this is an essentially good man who made a wrong turn and has a lifetime to pay for it.

21 GRAMS is a very strong movie, but at times, it comes too close to becoming too pessimistic to watch; however this is only a slight quibble.

Messed up chronology ruins the potentially good storyline.

[Kdosda_Hegen · 7/10 · 7 June 2020]

They messed up it so hard. Who thought it's a good idea to make the chronology of the scenes in the almost random order. You get the ending spoiled by the first half hour and you can predict majority of the story already. This movie had potential, the actors were amazing, the story itself would be interesting if not for the chronology. Such a failure.

Ugly and pretentious

[Spod-3 · 4/10 · 22 January 2004]

The only thing which made me sit through this interminable movie was to see if I was going to get any value at all for my ticket price. Well, I could at least have saved time by walking out after the first 30 minutes. Sure the performances are OK to good, (but not outstanding) and who cares anyway? I felt nothing for any characters in the film, and the confusing jumps between scenes and forwards and backward in time are irritating and pretentious. I get the feeling this film was inspired by that bumper sticker "life sucks, and then you die." I'll remember this only by it being the benchmark of bad films I might see in 2004

Iñárritu delivers a film that may well live up to its hype and then some.

[Austin2LA · 19 January 2004]

21 Grams features performances by Sean Penn, Benecio Del Torro and Naomi Watts that are remarkable not only for their believability, but also for the range of gut wrenching emotion they bring to bear. Telling his story almost violently out of sequence, Iñárritu makes no apology for presenting information in a manner that is often abrupt and/or confusing. His choice to juxtapose a myriad of images to reveal the complexities and subtleties of the characters challenges the viewer even as it elevates the story.

Each of the three main characters faces a series of crises that unfold in the fullness of Iñárritu's version of time. By so carefully painting characters' surroundings along with their reactions to the events that change their lives, lead characters are stripped to the bone. The supporting cast is nothing short of miraculous (notably Clea Duvall, Charlotte Gainsborg and Melissa Leo) and completes a wonderfully complex series of portraits of the three main characters.

Like few films in recent memory, 21 Grams fully reveals what it is to be human in the clutches of life's most challenging moments.

How much does life weigh?

[Lady_Targaryen · 8/10 · 30 August 2006]

I watched ''21 Grams '' after many people (friends and dad) suggested me that the movie was great. Well,the movie is intense, depressing, but it is good for sure: all the actors were great in their roles,specially Benicio Del Toro and Naomi Watts. Naomi, by the way, really surprised me for good, I am so used to see her in 'cute roles', and when I saw her as a young mother, crying in the hospital scene, when she finds out that her family died, I thought that she wasn't, after all, just a pretty face on the screen.

The message of this movie, is that we can lose our loved ones at any moment, and of course, we'll miss them eternally, but we must be strong and realize that life goes on, like when Christina's father suggests for her to move on,at her husband's and daughters' funeral. (And he knows what he is talking about, since he also lost his wife) Also how much we are all connected to each other and how accidents can affect all people's life, some to worst (Jack's and Christina's case) and others to a better condition(Paul's case, with a heart donated after the accident)what is the big irony of life.

''21 Grams'' is a movie which interweaves several plot lines and it is edited in a non-linear arrangement, that can bother many people and make us confused in the beginning. (A good choice would be to watch the movie 2 times to get it well)

The plot shows the consequences of a tragic automobile accident that changed the life of the three main characters: Jack Jordan, a former convict,Paul Rivers, a mathematics professor with a heart condition and Christina Peck, a young mother who is recovering from a drug addiction with a supportive husband and their two daughters.

An intelligent, sensitive and human portray of fatality

[SAYSI · 10/10 · 26 June 2004]

Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, becomes with " 21Grams" a master craftsman that can push psychological boundaries and proves that to understand the Americans, you don't have to be one. And very often foreign directors that tackle American psyche do so in an intelligent and often very accurate and sensible way. Even though this film could have had characters from any country. Of course this is the case with the director of this brilliant film. I had to see it twice under very different circumstances and both times i left with a profound satisfaction of watching a great film. The work of Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro , Naomi Watts and Charlotte Gainsbourg is superb. Overall for me, the best film of 2003

Great performances, nice cinematography, but what happens?

[Axel-9 · 6/10 · 21 November 2004]

21 Grams is a hard film to like. The first half hour or so is inaccessible and at points the editing leaves one bewildered. You don't get a chance to know or engage with the characters because you are buffeted between stories at an incredibly fast pace. I'm just about to learn about Jack Jordan's faith then I'm suddenly thrown into Paul Rivers's marital strife. At times this works well, like the cut from Jordan giving his son a slap, into Cristina Peck's kitchen where she is baking a cake with her kids. There is a certain fluidity to it that makes sense, aside from the fact that those events are actually taking place in the same time frame.

Ah the time frames. As I said at times the cutting between them is quite bewildering, but then I stopped to think what the movie would be like without them, as in the editing cleverly disguises what it really is. Yes it could have been a feature length episode of British hospital drama Casualty, with superior acting. Seriously, we've got the family of to meet mummy, the guy who's just been sacked and the guy who needs a heart transplant, what catastrophe will it take to get them all in the ER room? And that in my mind is where it all falls down, this is just a bit of melodrama, that is technically brilliant, contains powerful performances, but is at best a very dull story.

That's not to say I disliked it. The pay off at the end is very good, and seems to provide a philosophical twist to events, and gives Rivers a noble slant to his character's arc. Sean Penn IMO gives the stand out performance, measured, calm, at times enigmatic and never showy. He makes Rivers feel genuine. I believe in him when he 'stalks' the wife of his heart donor. Del Toro's Jordan is very good, he conveys the genuine anguish of his character, as he falls from the born again Christian he has fought to become. Watts as Cristina I felt was the weak link. There are moments where she gets angry, that I felt were incredibly contrived. For example when Paul first hits her with his revelation, her explosion felt stagey. I've seen angry, I've been angry, and know what it should be like. Melissa Leo as Jordan's wife is very good in the scenes she gets, but again it's a character conveying anguish. There's a lot of that in this film.

The director says it's a hopeful film, and I'd agree to an extent. The ending offers some hope for the characters, as they resume their lives. I don't think life is as simple as that though, they've seen and lived some pretty bad sh*t and I imagine they'd be scarred no matter how they approach the future.

I did like some of the symbolism Inarittu finds with some of the cuts. For instance there's a shot of Jordan leaving his truck, and as the camera lingers it captures in the frame a number of religious symbols in his car. Then when Cristina leaves her kids' room after she gets the call, the camera focuses on a mobile hanging. In each case it lingers for a second or so, giving one the chance for some reflective thought.

Overall it's an interesting film, it will make you think, but whether it will really engage your emotions I don't know. Certainly didn't engage mine and left me pretty cold. It's hard to find specific things to criticise it on, I suppose if I was struggling to say why I liked something I'd say it was the 'je n'ai ce quoi' so this is reverse 'je n'ai ce quoi' if you like. That and the fact that it's a glorified version of a bit of British kitchen sink drama!

One step short of movie heaven

[pivko · 9/10 · 4 July 2004]

This movie is very, very good. Unlike some others I do not think the unchronological storytelling hurts the movie, on the contrary I think that the pieces that the viewer has to put together in order to get the picture of the whole story just make it more interesting.

On the other hand, no matter how good the movie actually is it is one step short of masterpiece. It is like you are climbing to heaven but you cannot make it over the last step. The story is good, the filming is good, the acting is good, but there is still SOMETHING missing for this movie to be added to my hall of all time faves. Maybe it is the music, this film does not have a strong score, maybe all the components do not add up well together... It is hard to describe why, but I was not as stunned as I usually am after watching movies I rate at 10.

Thus, I was deciding between 8 a 9, finally I voted 9 but it is a rather weak one.

Good movie but lacks something

[mismatchedsocks-24-561965 · 6/10 · 23 October 2018]

The actors are fantastic. Movie has got some real strong moments. But overall the film lacks something extra.

A Depressing Story, One of the Saddest Movies Ever

[claudio_carvalho · 10/10 · 4 September 2004]

Cristina Peck (Naomi Watts) is a well-married housewife, living with her two lovely daughters and her husband in a comfortable house. Paul Rivers (Sean Penn) is a mathematician, married with Mary Rivers (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and having troubles with his heart, needing an urgent transplantation and waiting for a donator. Jack Jordan (Benicio Del Toro) is a former drug dealer and small time crook, married with Marienne Jordan (Melissa Meo) and having a son and a daughter, who found his salvation in Jesus, becoming a good man and a fanatic religious. A horrible car accident joins the lives of Cristina, Paul and Jack, affecting their families and friends. In order to avoid spoilers, I do not intend to go any further in my summary of the plot.

"21 Grams" is a movie supported by a great screenplay, magnificent direction and wonderful interpretations. The screenplay presents the story in non-chronological fragments, like in "Pulp Fiction", disclosing in pieces like a puzzle a depressing story, certainly in one of the saddest movies ever. The direction of Alejandro González Anirritu is impressive. This is the second movie directed by him that I saw (the other one was "Amores Perros") and both of them are excellent films. The greatest reference I can mention is the IMDb User Rating: "Amores Perros" (top 250: #139, with 8.2) and "21 Grams" (top 250: #188, with 8.0). Therefore, many viewers share my opinion in this regard. The performance of the cast is something unique: Naomi Watts proves that she is not only a beautiful face and body on the screen, but also a terrific actress, being nominated by the Academy for the Best Actress Award. Benicio Del Toro, who was found some years ago, has another great performance in an important role, the trigger of the situations exposed in the story. Sean Penn is an outstanding actor, always a synonym of high-quality performance and it is not necessary to say thing else about him. Melissa Meo, Charlotte Gainsbourg and the rest of the cast have inspired acting. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil):'21 Gramas' ('21Grams')

If only it wasn't non linear....

[aarond23 · 6/10 · 19 November 2005]

The story and acting of this movie is excellent. However, call me unsophisticated but the randomness of the scenes is a turn off for me. I would love to see a cut of the movie with all the scenes in chronological order. Penn, Watts, and Del Torro all are extraordinary. I just think the story could have held up on its own without the tricky flashbacks and foreshadowing. The movie has no real beginning, middle and end as you the scenes seem to be on 'shuffle' all the time. However I would recommend it to anyone that can handle something out of the ordinary with powerful acting. You really ended up caring about the characters. I give it 6 out of 10.

Ironic, brave, intense...

[moonspinner55 · 8/10 · 10 December 2005]

Snapshots of tragedy: the lives of three people--a wife and mother of two, a dying man in need of a new heart, and an ex-con turned counselor at a religious center--intersect after a tragic car accident. "21 Grams", directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu from an original screenplay by Guillermo Arriaga, consists of dramatic episodes involving these characters (both before and after the accident), with scene after scene presented--one may assume--in random order; yet, there's a method to this editing madness, and the film's narrative actually feels much more linear in retrospect. Iñárritu is visually addicted to squalor (he sees the lonely beauty of it) and his film is unrelentingly gritty; this ambiance is matched by the performances of all three principles--Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, and Benicio Del Toro--each of whom perform totally without vanity. It is a remarkable achievement, with a few sequences of textbook dramatics completely recharged by the style, the desperate energy, and Iñárritu's emotional handling. An intense, gripping couple of hours! Two Oscar nominations: for Watts as Best Actress and Del Torro as Best Supporting Actor. ***1/2 from ****

There's no point to it

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 6/10 · 18 March 2007]

I just didn't understand how this movie was so raved about in 2003, I remember it was up for some Oscars, I believe, and I heard about it from several people on how dark it was but interesting. Well, I rented it the other day and decided to give it some time to think about it, still I came up with the same conclusion, it had no point. Normally most movies have a moral or some kind of meaningful conclusion, I'm not saying that some films could be different, and we've had those types of films, but still this one just made absolutely no sense. I think because the pace was just so slow and really couldn't get to the point, I lost interest.

Cristina has just lost her husband and her two daughters in a horrible hit and run accident, realizing that she would loose her husband due to massive brain damage, she lets him go and donates his heart to another man who is dying and needs a heart transplant, Paul. Paul looks her up and instantly falls for her despite being in a loveless marriage, he would do anything for Cristina, including killing the ex con who is now a religious freak who killed her family and part of her life.

There's more to the story, but that is the summed up version of pretty much what it is. The acting was not bad at all, in fact I would say that is very decent, it was the story and how it was edited that didn't work for me. I think the story had some kind of meaning that could have been better explored or told in more sincere way. Doesn't make any sense I know, but I would just warn you that this movie is somewhat a waste of time.

6/10

Just another drama

[The_Void · 3/10 · 25 March 2005]

A year or so ago, I saw a film about a horrible accident that affected three different parties. This film followed these three lives, and we saw how the accident caused their lives to intertwine. The film was directed by a man named Alejandro González Iñárritu, and was notable for it's gritty styling and downtrodden acting. The film was, of course, called 'Amores Perros'; but from the information given so far, it could easily have been 21 Grams. The only real difference between the two is that the first version of this story was massively superior to this retelling. 21 Grams has all the ingredients to be considered a great film by today's standards: a tragic story, lots of shouting...sorry, I mean "powerful performances" it's gritty, it's downbeat and it's even got the split method of story telling. However, there's just one problem; having these things in place is not the way to a great film. Ingeniuty, interesting stories, great acting - these are the things that make cinema great. I don't know what's wrong with people these days, why does stuff like 21 Grams always receive a strong critical reaction?

The acting in this film is really great...or is it? Are you sure it's not just dull? One of the side effects of these gritty dramas taking over is that the art of acting has been cut back and cut back again until all that's left is a dreary residue; of which so many actors are more than happy to wallow in. And why wouldn't they be? Anyone can mope, and these guys are getting Academy Award nominations for doing it! Death and tragedy has always been a favourite of Hollywood, and the dreary and depressing nature of this film takes advantage of that fact. 21 Grams attempts to explore the subject of loss and personal trauma by way of the soul, which is shown by the '21 grams' that we lose upon death. This is extremely ironic when you consider that this film has no soul. It's backbone is dissolved into the tedious screenplay, and 21 Grams doesn't offer us a single reason to care for any of the characters on display, meaning the only reason we should get behind them is because they're the protagonists; and that's no reason to care for a character. The characters in 21 Grams can kill people, be told that they have a month to live and lose their family until they go blue in the face - but if I don't have a reason to plug into their plight, I'm afraid I simply don't care.

All in all, 21 Grams is a tragic waste of film stock. It's a product of it's time and reflects the way that cinema has changed this century. It's a shame that films of this nature will continue to get strong critical reactions, and as long as that keeps happening, the studios will continue to churn them out. 21 Grams is nothing but another film.