21 Grams2003
21 Grams (2003)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Alejandro González Iñárritu deftly weaves an uncommonly structured narrative with panache in 21 Grams, a stylish, haunting drama full of fine performances.
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Movie Info
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Cast
as Paul Rivers
as Cristina Peck
as Jack Jordan
as Mary Rivers
as Marianne Jordan
as Claudia Williams
as Michael
as Katie
as Laura
as Boy
as Gynecologist
as Reverend John
as Fat Man
as Basketball Guy
as Freddy
as Gina
as Guard
as Guard No. 2
as Inmate No. 1
as Inmate No. 2
as Caddie No. 1
as Caddie No. 2
as Caddie No. 3
as Al
as Brown
as Dr. Rothberg
as Dolores
as Lucio
as Cashier
as Trish
as Receptionist
as Cristina's Father
as Dr. Jones
as Dr. Molina
as Dr. Badnews
as Barman
as Ana
as Alan
as Friend No. 1
as Friend No. 2
as Female Friend No. 1
as Male Friend No. 1
as Wife
as P.I.
as Fat Prisoner
as Valet
as Night Guard
as Young Doctor
as Doctor
as Nurse
as County Sheriff
as Skinny Woman
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Critic Reviews for 21 Grams
All Critics (182) | Top Critics (38) | Fresh (146) | Rotten (36) | DVD (10)
Challenges and provokes in unexpected ways.
[An]uncommonly ambitious, superbly acted, frustratingly flawed drama.
Establishes [Inarritu] as a major cinematic force.
You won't soon forget the world that Gonzalez Inarritu creates.
Fascinating because of the way the story is told -- and because of the existential issues that it forces you to consider.
The performances, the way Inarritu deconstructs and reconstructs the narrative, the grainy, gritty feel and look, all lead to the rare sort of experience that only a truly great film can offer.
Audience Reviews for 21 Grams
Well acted but incredibly downbeat movie is a hard watch.
Super Reviewer
I do enjoy films that employ interwoven storylines and movies that feature non-linear narratives. Sometimes, I like films that employ both. However, I don't like all films like that, or think that all films that use such techniques need to be done that way. This is one of those films. This is a look at the lives of three broken people: a feverishly born again ex-con, a critically ill college professor, and a housewife with a tainted past. Their lives intersect following a bad car accident, and the films looks at their lives before, during, and after the crash, examining the consequences of things, and the interplay that goes on between them. This is some intereting stuff, and I didn't mind that it was downbeat and depressing as all hell; I just didn't care for the jarring editing or feel that this needed to be told out of chronological order. It really seemed to have no other purpose than to tell a story in a unique way or to be interesting. That doesn't work when this sort of thing is old hat and the way it is done doesn't make things more interesting. It really just makes things seem jumbled and fractured, and not in a good way. At least the story arcs are rather engaging, and the film has decent characters played by wonderful actors who give some compelling and great performances. My favorite was definitely Del Toro, though Watts gives a bold and courageous performance, while Penn seemed more low key though still commanding and powerful. I could have used a bit more Leo and definitely some more DuVall, but at least we got to see them at all. The film brings up some interesting concepts and has a lot of nice things to offer, but I think it would have fared far better had they just played it straight. Doing something like this seemingly just for the sake of it takes away all of the powerful that the thing had in the first place, kinda like using Dutch angles without really understanding why they're effective when used properly. So yeah, this film is decent, and has its moments, but it's a mess and doesn't hold up as being as strong as it should have been, so I'm on the fence, but mostly leaning towards a thumbs up.
Super Reviewer
I love this style of film. I was almost lost during a few scenes, but at the end some of the loose ends were connected and it really turned this film around for me. What a story! Excellent performances from Penn, Del Toro, and Watts, as well as Charlotte Gainsbourg and Melissa Leo. Del Toro definitely deserved their Oscar nominations. Great direction also from Inarritu; it takes a lot to direct such an intertwined film as this, but he delivers. Excellent film, one of the best of 2003!
Super Reviewer
21 Grams Quotes
| Paul: | There is a number hidden in every act of life. |
| Jack: | God even knows when a single hair moves on your head. |
| Paul: | [Quoting a Poem] The earth turned to bring us closer. It turned on itself and in us, until it finally brought us together in this dream. |
| Paul: | [quoting a Poem] The earth turned to bring us closer. It turned on itself and in us, until it finally brought us together in this dream. |
| Paul: | 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? Twentyone grams. The weight of a stack of five nickels. The weight of a hummingbird. A chocolate bar. How much did 21 grams weigh? |
| Paul: | 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? |