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Superb film, Crap product!

Please don't let the 2 stars mislead you. They are in reference to the DVD only. Universal Studios, for some reason, felt it in their best interest to deprive the consumer of two "extras" which should have been on the DVD including a "making-of featurette". Yet they seem to have no issues with forcing the viewer to sit through 10 minutes of previews before the main menu even appears. The only way to bypass these annoyances is to fast forward through them which is a major hassle and still takes some time. Why these "major" studios still feel it their duty to foist these previews upon us is easily seen: To sell more movies. Universal, you are a big fat joke. Perhaps some day, the Criterion Collection will give this film the treatment it deserves.

The film itself is quite good. And if the film and dark story don't do it for you, the cast will. The performances of the 3 stars are first rate. I recommend renting this and waiting to see if the money grubbing thieves at Universal will one day relent and allow us the pleasure of a proper DVD viewing experience.

Personal film about different lives intervening through the course of tragedy

Long before uprising director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu achieved worldwide recognition for his pretentious Babel, he created this smaller, more personal film about different lives intervening through the course of tragedy. Naomi Watts gives a breathtaking performance about a woman who lost her husband and two daughters in a hit & run accident, and Sean Penn (in a performance far superior than his award winning turn in Mystic River) portrays an ailing man, who receives new life with the help of the late husband's heart. It's this chilling reality that brings the two closer, while the collapsing Watts seeks revenge for her loss. Grief, sorrow and truths about life and death ensue in this sad-yet-gripping tale.

"Wow. That was a great film."

I'm not a film critic, but if I was I would be a harsh sort. I'm easily bored, intolerant of logical errors and cannot stand bad acting. So it's a rare occasion that I find myself walking out of a movie thinking - "Wow. That was a great film.". After seeing 21 Grams, however, that's exactly what I was thinking. I even said it, in so many words, to my wifeShe agreed, and why shouldn't she? The movie is a tight, gripping masterpiece, the kind of film that is so perfectly, emotionally engrossing at the time, that only later does the other, analytical half of your brain find time to process it - at which point you realize that not only was it one hell of an interesting drama but intellectually satisfying as well. Yes, the inner-city yuppie film snob in me loved it, but so did its channel-surfing, Indiana Jones-loving alter ego. Not often are both beasts contented with the same fare.An admission: this third paragraph of my review was supposed to be the sketchy, non-spoiling plot summary, but is almost impossible to write in this case. Not that the film lacks a solid plot. Although it starts in the fitful, disjointed, impressionistic style of Mulholland Drive, it deftly fills in the mosaic of a tragic narrative, tile by tile, without any of the wild twists and inconsistencies that David Lynch likes to inflict upon his audiences. There's something about the perfectly crafted and interwoven scenes that inspires confidence: this film, at least, has an ending, and a middle, and a beginning - none of which shames the others.OK, so I should attempt some sort of a stab at a plot summary: we watch the unfolding of three stories (in no particular order in either space or time), each involving a family, or at least a couple; all suffer tragedies, in different ways, that are revealed to be intimately connected. In this way, then, 21 Grams follows a tradition of very good recent films in using the devices of coincidence and accident to great effect (along with the discontinuities in time). But it does it better, I think, that almost any recent example, and part of the reason is that it dwells upon a theme: that of death, and dying, and the effect that it has on people. The title itself refers to the amount of body mass a person is supposed to lose upon the moment of death - which I initially thought pretentious, but by the end of the movie I found it fits well.So it's not a light film, and it does not leave you uplifted. But it is undeniably powerful, led by mammoth performances from Sean Penn, Benicio Del-Torro and Naomi Watts. Penn seems to be getting better with age, and Watts' performance was really breathtaking. One particular scene sticks in the mind - she turns, enraged and betrayed, on a friend and screams in almost incoherent yet absolutely real fury - a vignette of masterful acting that gives that significant moment a dramatic emphasis very few actors can provide. I've seen her act well before, but she was really something in this movie. If the Hollywood establishment cared about real acting talent she'd have more than a few fingers on an Oscar already.Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is the director of this movie - he's not unknown, but he was to me - and now I have only admiration for his talent. Despite my rave review, I get the feeling he could do even better, and I'll be eagerly watching for his next effort. In the meantime, for what it is worth, I couldn't recommend a film more. Go and see it.

Living and suffering...

When I watched this movie for the first time I was a little bit sad …And I can assure you, that is the best way of watching this movie because you can participate, at least, a little bit on the suffering of these three characters. This is not definitely a film to see looking for having some fun… But if you are looking for great acting, try this one! Sean Penn , Benicio del Toro and Naomi Watts working well in a movie is one thing that is better not to miss. They give the necessary power to make this movie to be more than watchable in despite of all the sadness involved. And for those ( like me ) who like a story told in a not linear way, but with a lot of editing quality and interesting and satisfactory connections , this is also a must see. Enjoy it (or better saying.. suffer it!... )

Great Acting Ruined by Non-Sequential Presentation

I have mixed feelings about 21 Grams. On the one hand, it's wonderfully well-acted. This is basically a three-person movie. Yes, there are supporting characters, but the film truly belongs, heart and soul, to the people played by Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, and Benicio Del Toro. And they all do pretty freakin' phenomenal jobs of bringing these people to life. Without giving away too much of the plot (I'm sure others will be more than happy to do that), these three lives are brought together by a single moment of horror, and the bulk of the movie recounts how they deal with its aftermath.

Problems with 21 Grams: All the main characters have enough negative traits (drug addiction, serial infidelity, religious mania, etc.) they're just not particularly pleasant people to visit. The movie itself is a downer. And, while the events taking place on-screen are quite interesting, the film is told out of sequence - severely. It hops back in forth in time like a Mexican jumping bean. Many will posit this is due to the influence, and popularity, of Quentin Tarantino's work. The difference is that Tarantino's movies, for all his chronology games, are quite easy to follow. That is not the case in 21 Grams. And often, there's simply no reason for the time splits. I mean, really, do we need to wait over an hour to know the reason the Watts character was laughing was that her sister was flipping her a bird behind her back? After watching this movie I was left with the feeling it would have been a much more interesting - and certainly more intelligible - film if it had simply been told in straightforward chronology.

I'm glad I saw 21 Grams, for the performances of Watts, Penn and Del Toro which were all frankly sensational. On the other hand, the movie left me depressed, and the film editing was irritating as hell.

herky-jerky

Why must a film be shot by handheld, herky-jerky camera(s)? Feels like I'm watching a relative's amateur Super 8 failed effort. Very distracting. Acting by the principals was as good as expected (unlike very disappointing "Mystic River"). However, too many implausible situations, such as Naomi Watts' rather easy submission to Sean Penn, who was brilliant but miscast. Benicio was brilliant period. The non-linear approach does not add any element except confusion. In "Memento" it was a stated novelty, but why here? Only memorable aspects were Benicio's acting and Naomi's full frontal approach.

One step short of movie heaven

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.

Mundane Story, Amature Presentation, Good Acting

This is a run-of-the-mill story line chopped up into little pieces and pasted back together again in a feable attempt to make it artistic. There is the standard introspective stuff and the not so subtle question of God's existance so many people think is still provactive...blah, blah, blah, so what. Another problem is the characters. While not bad people, they are just not very likable or interesting. Clocking in at two hours and five minutes it seemed three hours and fifty five minutes as the story develops at a snail's pace. As others have said there is some decent acting here, especially by Naomi Watts so I'll offer two stars for that, otherwise this is just another average flick. Quentin Tarantino mastered this presentation style and it is interesting and well done in his films, but I'll be glad when this fad dies because in the hands of lesser talented directors like Alejandro González Iñárritu it is just annoying.

Death's Waiting Room...

The more something is done to excess, the greater the degree of benefit or consequence that results from said particular something, therefore having a profound effect on the lives of the parties affected. This situation describes the subjects to a tee in "21 Grams", as the effects of drug and substance abuse are examined in great detail under a microscope. Subject to scrutiny, are two subjects, Paul Rivers (Sean Penn) and Jack Jordan (Benecio Del Toro), both of whom have travelled a long and winding road leading to a primrose path of excess in one form or another. This film is a grim reminder of the genuinely harsh realities faced by all in our topsy-turvy society, including the costs of such realities. Among these costs, are those relating to a physical and a social nature, meaning that if humankind does not heed and/or surrender to its own inhibitions, we, as a group, are destined to face our own failures and shortcomings in the end, and with no chance of any redemption. As "21 Grams"' subjects (Paul, Jack, and their loved ones) are about to find out, the truth is bound to be written in blood, and therefore must guard against any harsh judgements cast upon them by their peers. This motion picture is a good study guide for those who want to rid themselves of any negative habits, especially involving those situations which could translate to a matter of life and death. With that said, it is rarely often that anyone ever gets a second chance at life. Yours is waiting at your local theater, in the guise of a viewing of "21 Grams". Amidst the morals contained within, are fine dramatic performances, courtesy of both Penn and Del Toro, including a gripping display of acting from Naomi Watts as well. So, how much is "21 Grams"? The answer is waiting just for you at your local cinema. Get metricized today!

Life goes on ...

When people say that, it's usually meant to be somewhat encouraging. The point of the saying being that tomorrow is a new day. I'm not sure that people consider EXACTLY how painful that life "going on" can be. This film explores that.

It's a film about how 3 different people, all connected in some way to a tragic car accident, deal with the guilt and pain of their lives continuing to move forward ... even when they can't bring themselves to move along with it.

The acting is absolutely SUPERB. Sean Penn, realistically, could have won an Oscar for BOTH Mystic River and 21 Grams. He's just OUTSTANDING. Naomi Watts was also BRILLIANT as a wife and mother whose life is just DESTROYED when her family is killed. Benico Del Toro, I'm convinced, is one of the most under-appreciated actors of the modern film world. Even the second tier cast was outstanding. Melissa Leo, for example, was incredible in the way she played a Lady MacBeth-ish wife to Del Toro's character.

The directing is wonderful. The emotion that Alejandro Iñárritu is able to get from his cast is staggering. Its emotional impact on his audience is mind-blowing. You'll find yourself tearing up watching Naomi Watts desperately trying to piece her shattered life back together. I was a little confused in the beginning by the out-of-sequence method that was used in the films editing, but it breaks helps to give the audience a small emotional break (as another reviewer stated, this is a REALLY dark, sad film) and also makes for a better payoff as you fit the pieces of the film together to reveal the whole picture.

I can't possibly recommend this enough. It is horribly depressing, but it's also an absolutely brilliant work of art.

Very disappointing.. wrong title..

When I started this movie I was expecting an interesting theory of the 21 grams mystery. Especially since the rating is so high I expected something very thought out, but I could not me more disappointed after seeing it.The story is a simple dramatic story, nothing special. It's a nice story, but something for TV. They tried to make it more spectacular by the way it is put together, like: no linear timeline, which can be good if it had use for the whole story, but in this movie it was useless and just annoying. Or (even worse): scenes where nothing happens, somebody is just sitting and thinking (could have a function, but hasn't in this movie). Clearly all put there to make it seem like more. To much "sauce" to cover up the bad taste. It didn't fool me.I'm sure the "21 grams" name is made up just before finishing it, because it has nothing to do with the whole story. Just at the end something is said about the 21 grams. It's clearly quickly put in there and it's nothing more than the known fact. It was quite stupid. The creator definitely had no clue what to think or say about it and just said something to have at least something to justify the name of the movie. He probably just read an article a few days before finishing the movie.It's such a cheap way of making a movie more interesting. "How much does life weigh". Well, I can think of a dozen of those silly questions: "What is the color of life", "What is the volume of life", "What is the dimension of life", "What is the density of life", etc... Then create a movie (could be about anything), and put that as cover question. Than ending it with just some recently read fact about that question, and voila! Pseudo artistic movie made! Good reviews received, because mingling the timeflow of the scenes makes a movie so much more "artistic".. I would have also made it black and white... That would probably beat godfather.. Oh please..Worth a 4..

We all lose 21 grams when we die

This is a very good movie, but was made unnecessarily complicated and confusing by the way the plot alternates between characters and different moments in time. I am not new to facing this technique, which has been used extensively by one of my favorite directors, Quentin Tarantino, and some of the writers I enjoy most, Stephen King and Mario Vargas Llosa. However, in the Tarantino movies and the King books I found enough information to make it relatively easy to follow the events and time periods to which they refer to. I found extremely hard to do this in "21 Grams", as happened when I read the great novel "Conversation in the Cathedral" by Vargas Llosa. After the first thirty minutes in the movie, it all starts to make sense and I was able to enjoy the movie. However, this production could have received five stars instead of four if the beginning was not so tangled.

Paul (Sean Penn) is dying and needs a heart transplant urgently, while his wife Mary is trying to get pregnant before it is too late. Jack (Benicio Del Toro) is an ex-alcoholic and ex-convict, who has recently been fired from his job in a Country Club because of his appearance. When Jack accidentally runs over a man and his two kids, Paul gets his transplant, and the destiny of the two men and the widow become inexorably intertwined. From this point on, we witness the emotions and actions of the survivor, the victim and the man who cannot help feeling guilty.

It is interesting that Del Toro received an academy nomination for this movie and Sean Penn did not. In my opinion, the latter shines brighter and his talent lead to justly winning an Oscar for "Mystic River". "21 Grams" is a movie that deserves to be seen, and I hope that if you find yourself frustrated at the beginning because it is hard to follow, you will hang in there until everything makes sense. I know you will not be disappointed.

A narrative and stylistic masterpiece, never seen such great actors!

At first I didn't place great hopes in this movie, but what I watched was the strongest and best acted movie I have seen in my whole life. This movie might be a bit confusing in the beginning, but after some twenty minutes, the became so gripping and didn't let me go until the end.It is a very exciting story told in partly opressing pictures, which really make you share the character's troubles. When the movie is was over and the credits began, I had to remain sitting for a few minutes. 21 grams is the most riveting as well as the best acted movie I've ever seen.

Powerful movie …

21 Grams is very powerful movie … it'll touch your feelings on a deep level. The story itself is not so special, it is the way the story is being told that makes this movie so special. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu films this movie in a very unconventional way. By so filming he delivers some moments of extreme raw emotional impacts that other movies fail to show.The first 20-30 minutes of this movie seems to have no purpose or story. But as the movie goes on the script provides answers and we get rewarded for watching this movie till the end.Sean Penn plays a sick man who has a dying heart and a rotten relationship with a girl. He plays his part brilliantly and proves again that he is a great actor. Del Toro gives also a genuinely raw performance as a reformed Christ. But to me, Naomi Watts gave the most intriguing, raw and emotional performance. After watching Mulholland Drive I knew she was a great actress, and her performance in this movie justified my thought 100 percent.The nonlinear directing of this movie was maybe a little too much for me. I thought it didn't reach the greatness of Memento or Reservoir Dogs. But the single scenes of this movie were outstandingly acted and delivered the punches their own ways.I highly recommend this movie …

Thought provoking, emotionally draining, excellent acting!

To see this movie is to experience it! Although quite confusing at first, with multiple timeliness to contend with, it begins to clear up and track well and from that point on prepare yourself for one of the most emotionally drenching thrillers you're perhaps to ever see. Well worth patience in the beginning. Sean Penn is mesmerizing as usual in his portrayal of a man bent on discovery and battling a fatal illness and Naomi Watts is shockingly convincing as the wife/mother facing the ultimate loss and dealing with the aftermath. Bionici DelTorro is at his usual best as the burnt-out, ex-con who just found Jesus and is now facing something that shakes the foundations of his new found faith. The directing is spot-on and the cinematography haunting and spell-binding.

Garbage! Garbage! Garbage!

What a waste of time and money. When I rented this DVD, I inserted a piece of paper inside the DVD case warning whoever would pick it up not to rent it. I won't even go into why I hated this movie so much. It's not worth my time or effort. Just remember, I warned you. And one more thing - for all you idiots out there who loved this film and call it art, get your arrogant heads up out of the sky and get a reality check.

Worst movie of the year?

This movie moves extremely slow and the story line is disjointed. There is about enough interesting material to fill a 30 minute TV show, however this is a two hour movie. I like nearly every movie I see, but this was agony just to watch until the end. If you want to throw your money away, just flush it down the toilet, at least then you don't have to pay S&H.

Great Performances, Downer Script

21 Grams is a film of undeniable artistry and fine performances. It also makes for very uncomfortable viewing. The non-sequential nature didn't bother me (and I don't really buy the comparisons to Memento, this film is more jumbled up than 'backwards'). The problem for me was the lack of hope. Surely all of us fear that phone call, that accident, that illness that will strike one of us down. God knows, I've thought about it - but I don't necessarily want to live it vicariously. Love doesn't save the characters, faith deserts them, repentence and good deeds go unrewarded...realistic, yes, but too much so.
I never thought I would long for a sappy Hollywood ending, but this movie provoked just such a reaction. I also had a minor quibble with the plot (why was the Naomi Watts character so forgiving, then so vengeful?). I guess the bottom line for me is - great job to everyone involved, but would it hurt to lighten the mood just a little next time?

Bold, experimental, heartbreaking, and haunting

I had heard so many good things about this movie that I finally had to watch it. For the first 20 minutes, I had a hard time getting into it as it made absolutely no sense. Every scene contained different characters doing something disconnected from what had happened before. I almost turned it off out of boredom. But I am so glad I didn't!

Something extraordinary happened about a third of the way into the film, once the three main characters-- Penn, Watts, and del Toro-- had been in several scenes and I started actually getting into each of their respective storylines. Some of the things I enjoyed were Watts' performance, which had me in tears several times throughout the film, and the irony in some spots of the tragedy in one person's story juxtaposed next to a quick cutaway to humor in another person's story. I found myself intrigued with the way the story was told. The non-linear plot made it so much more haunting once I actually realized what was actually going on and was able to put it together.

To summarize, I thought this was one of the most heartbreaking but strangely beautiful movies I've seen in a long time. I highly recommend it if you want something different and experimental.

Different and watchable - Not for the stupid

I didnt have a clue what I had sat down to watch. I thought it was a drugs thing.The story starts all over the script timeline and gets you wondering what the hell is going on. But it gets away with it.Once I finally got a handle on the Directors approach I really started to enjoy it.I felt for the characters and I enjoyed the different approach to the film making.The acting was great.I would recommend this but I would also warn off all those who like a black and white shoot em up action flik, this aint for you lot. There is some thinking to be done on this one I'm afraid.Rating: 8/10Well done on the Oscar Sean, deserved!