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21 Grams
21 Grams
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21 Grams

21 Grams

2003
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
2h 4m
They say we all lose 21 grams at the moment of our death.

21 Grams

2003
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
2h 4m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 59.16% from 7429 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(7487)
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Rated 08 Feb 2014
56
32nd
I promise this isn't a cry for help, but I am exactly twenty-one grams away from my ideal beach body. Dilemma...
Rated 13 Jul 2008
85
93rd
Somehow this movie felt more real than many other drama movies I have seen before. A melancholy look at the lives of a few random people who become connected to each other in strange ways. Brilliant acting and cinematography.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
57
35th
Powerful performances from all involved, especially Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn, but by the end the plot becomes so ludacriously depressing it's almost laughable about how many bad things can possibly happen to any one person. I was surprised a meteor didn't fall out of the sky and hit one of the characters right in the face. Such forced depression really killed the experience for me.
Rated 01 Aug 2009
2
15th
Inarritu's entire career is based on sticking to this contrived narrative structure, which is made more insufferable by Arriaga's poor script.
Rated 02 Jul 2009
80
70th
Had it been told straight-forward, this would be simply brilliant, but the needlessly convoluted nature of the film detracts from the experience a bit. The acting is uniformly excellent.
Rated 29 Jan 2009
84
79th
I'm a big fan of multiple story lines, and non-linear story telling, but in this case I felt it wasn't utilized well and as a result there was little to no tension in the film. I felt like the plot could have held up fine in a linear fashion, but it was at least partially spoiled by the choice in editing the story that way.
Rated 07 Jan 2009
65
38th
The first hour is interesting and engaging, the second hour falls apart and becomes another annoying ensemble film. The non-linear editing isn't pulled off well enough; it spoils all the plots and ruins the tension. The ending is contrived, and the editing is full of useless, alienating jump cuts. Iñárritu needs to drop the gimmicks and focus on one plot and develop it to satisfaction.
Rated 02 Jun 2008
58
28th
Basically a mess that tries for too much and can't quite manage it.
Rated 30 Dec 2007
47
22nd
I'll bend my will a lot for Inarritu, but this was just cheesy. Anytime Benicio Del Toro wasn't on screen I lost interest entirely. The experimental structure was especially pointless this time around.
Rated 16 Sep 2021
58
38th
An interesting premise, some great scenes, and a cast I really like (aside from Sean Penn who I struggle to not be grossed out by) but the pieces never clicked together for me. The non-chronological presentation seemed more like a gimmick rather than the core storytelling component it was in the other entries in the Life trilogy. The visual style didn't quite jive with me either, but I could see rating this higher if I was able to get on board with Penn's central character.
Rated 27 Oct 2020
70
54th
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?"
Rated 10 Jul 2015
39
2nd
It's unfortunately more Amores Perros than Birdman, its indulgence in misery and moralising is close, but no cigar to the former film's, but this is still arthouse trash. Firstly, the fragmented narrative structure is audacious, but because of its inconsistency it does nothing for the film except obscure the story for no reason. The story itself gets more contrived towards the end, with a few plot points leaving me aghast by their stupidity.
Rated 01 Sep 2010
75
61st
It's got something to begin with, seemingly watchable. Then cracks start to appear, a sense that the film's trying a little too hard. It actually ends with a sense of dissatisfaction, too disjointed for its own good.
Rated 21 Oct 2009
20
10th
Poorly written, contrived and manipulative. It was apparently sensed by the director that the story doesn't hold water, and so he tried to make up for it via a gimmick: Very fragmentary editing, bits and pieces, often non-linear chronologically. All this does is to take a mediocre movie and make it messier and less coherent. I wish someone would explain to crap directors that editing gimmicks do not deodorize their stinkers.
Rated 07 Oct 2009
78
74th
The highly non-linear approach in the beginning helped draw me in a bit more than regular storytelling would have. Even though it's 'just a drama', it hit all the right notes thanks to a great cast and the constant shift in perspective.
Rated 17 Jun 2009
69
42nd
Did not see what was so great about this movie. Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro are great, but the plot is weaker than the heart.
Rated 17 Jan 2009
70
34th
Highly overrated and pretty dull, Del Toro is fantastic, but really pretty basic and plodding to boot.
Rated 29 Sep 2008
25
27th
Gimmicky, manipulative and unrewarding.
Rated 12 Sep 2008
98
98th
A melancholic trip that confronts you with some heavy "what would I do" questions that left me with a twisted mind. Naomi Watts and Sean Penn at it's best and In deed one of the best Drama's in the last years.
Rated 22 Jun 2008
89
96th
Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, and Benicio Del Toro are all fantastic in this jarring and tragic film. The movie itself is unique in that it is all told non-sequentially with the audiences given little pieces of scenes in a seemingly random order. The film is excellent and is very powerful.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
16
2nd
Pretentiously presented, with actors more focused on attaining Oscar nominations than genuinely deep, authentic portrayals!
Rated 14 Aug 2007
43
18th
Gimmicky, self-involved and completely unrewarding. Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro save the thing, while Naomi Watts turns up the volume in order to scream and feign through every line of dialogue or action she is given.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
50
10th
Why is this film out of order?
Rated 10 Aug 2007
90
74th
A mind-bending, scrambled egg of a drama. It's a powerful, provocative film with three impressive performances.
Rated 03 Apr 2007
40
8th
meh.
Rated 16 Feb 2007
70
52nd
Gonzalez Iñarritu aims at too much in the emotional field and tries to make the visual style a part of it, with mediocre results. The screenplay and way of telling the story is brilliant, but drives the attention away of the plot.
Rated 18 Oct 2024
70
64th
very good, nice to watch
Rated 06 Mar 2024
20
12th
Ah, my most-hated film genre: "sad people being sad". And the jumbled timeline added nothing to the story, and was a big waste of time.
Rated 13 Aug 2023
79
65th
audiovisual 80 acting 80 overall feeling 77 avg 79
Rated 24 Jan 2021
85
83rd
Excellent movie from Mexicans Inarritu and Arriaga. And i think whole cast was worth an Oscar award. Film is discussing about the weight of human life. Maybe it even puts the audience to think about the life and to respect it more.
Rated 09 Dec 2017
7
73rd
A complicated narrative and intense performances from a great cast make this a moving and memorable drama.
Rated 10 Oct 2017
90
85th
2017/10/09
Rated 17 Jan 2016
80
78th
Imagine life worth 21 grams of pure shit. Undeniable, indisputable and mundane. Frankly the best part of the movie is not giving any answers other than get over it. Kudos for that. And Kudos to Naomi Watts, a superb performance. The non-linearity could have been utilised more carefully for all the mess it creates, the final monologue (and the poster) edited, for the poetry it brings is hardly necessary after two hours of constant life, weighing no more than 21 grams.
Rated 07 Nov 2015
58
15th
Not good, fairly standard plot. Some good performances, but the characters aren't interesting and at times quite annoying. The dialogue isn't anything special, at times downright bad. Meanwhile there is a false sense of importance throughout the film. The time structure of this film only tries to conceal its shallowness and does nothing but add to the confusion. When everything is revealed it's a total disappointment. Empty, pretentious drivel.
Rated 05 Aug 2015
35
24th
Trying way to hard to be 'heavy'. I guess it succeeds at that, but so what when it's also dreary.
Rated 29 Mar 2015
68
67th
3.42/5
Rated 07 Dec 2014
80
73rd
The non-linear approach saved this from becoming a melodrama. With expert build-up and strong visual direction, the film manages to create a decent amount of entertainment value. Innaritu succeeds amazingly well in bringing you close to his characters. A feat accomplished by some extremely stellar performances by Watts and Penn.
Rated 03 Dec 2014
78
70th
2nd viewing
Rated 12 Nov 2014
71
53rd
Engaging in places and technically impressive but a bit contrived and self-indulgent.
Rated 09 Feb 2014
100
0th
good
Rated 23 Dec 2013
80
56th
Alejandro González Iñárritu deftly weaves an uncommonly structured narrative with panache in 21 Grams, a stylish, haunting drama full of fine performances.
Rated 29 Nov 2013
87
85th
Some of the best use of non-chronological storytelling since Christopher Nolan's Memento. Be prepared for the the highly emotional nature of the movie, but feel confident that your emotions will thank you for the experience.
Rated 05 Nov 2013
61
8th
The movie's theme is depressing dealing with the loss of loved ones. Stellar performances from all the characters but I wasn't left with a 'Wow!' effect after it was done. Not the kind of a movie to watch if you are looking to lift up your mood.
Rated 03 Oct 2013
76
53rd
75.67.
Rated 17 Aug 2013
75
62nd
With an initially confusing, but rapidly comprehensible chronological structure, 21g is a refreshing change to standard linear construction. I found it worked well. You know what to expect from films starring Sean Penn, and this heartbreaking tale delivered his trademark angst in heavy handed shovelfuls. Whilst Watts and the cast are generally superb the story falls apart towards the end, in part because what happens has been flagged up in "flash-forwards", so any sense of real climax is lost.
Rated 29 Jun 2013
70
56th
The performances elevate what ends up being a style of storytelling that does more to distract than enhance. That's not a knock on the story itself, just the erratic way it was told. It basically tries to make you have to watch it a second time to really catch everything.
Rated 12 May 2013
91
91st
Naomi Watts acting is flawless and her being topless on of the great treasures of this film. Sean Penn was not annoying. The movie is sadly disjointed with a timeline that is constantly switching back and forth. Mixed into the chopped up editing is a heartfelt story of personal loss, grief, longing, guilt, love and revenge. Excellent acting. All of the performances felt genuine. I wish the timeline had not been shuffled so badly. Otherwise excellent, given the difficult material.
Rated 30 Mar 2013
54
6th
certainly it's not as strong as the two others (Babel & Amores Perros). the story and the characters are weaker.
Rated 25 Feb 2013
60
64th
not bad.not that good either but Naomi Watts turns in a very good performance and I'm not just saying that because she took her top off.
Rated 04 Feb 2013
100
97th
uma obra prima do Iñárritu, a não linearidade dos fatos deixa-o simplesmente incrível, além do excelente elenco e respectiva atuação.
Rated 30 Jan 2013
100
77th
Her şey 21 Gram'a bakar...
Rated 19 Jan 2013
30
6th
Sadistic, pretentious pap.
Rated 03 Jan 2013
85
59th
The meet-by-happenstance trope has been time and time again, but this was one that even through some off speed editing really summoned some feeling out of me. Benicio Del Toro in one of his least eccentric roles that I can think of is as effective as ever, and Penn's loyalty to his woman-on-the-side in the powerfully emotional Naomi Watts is astounding once we see him encounter Del Toro's Jack. And just for good measure: Melissa fucking Leo.
Rated 27 Dec 2012
74
55th
Solid, not so tremendous (except Naomi Watts.)
Rated 15 Dec 2012
7
68th
Using an interesting, sorrowful plot coupled with a neat narrative device, 21 Grams succeeds on every level, just not to the fullest extent. Iñárritu's direction is more than respectable, but some parts of the film falter. Del Toro, Watts, and Penn deliver worthy performances, believable and heartbreaking. Not the best script, cinematography, or music but still, a good film. Charlotte Gainsbourg is excruciatingly pretty.
Rated 16 Nov 2012
80
90th
It was pretty similar to the director's other films, like Amores Perros (2000) and Babel (2006), but not in such a way that it felt repetitive. The cast was fantastic, and included several favourites of mine. Even Naomi Watts, whom I don't usually like, was very good. The non-linear chronology may be confusing and off-putting at first, but I do suggest that you stick with it, because it all comes together by the end. It was full of nice, raw emotion and intriguing themes, and I liked it a lot.
Rated 25 Oct 2012
91
99th
* Casting, Acting : 9.5 * Script : 10 * Directing, Aura : 9.5 * Ease of Viewing : 7 * Naked Eye : 9.5
Rated 22 Sep 2012
80
73rd
Another very depressing, think deeply about life sort of movie by Inarritu. It is also a truly beautiful film. Great performances, especially by Benicio Del Toro.
Rated 01 Sep 2012
100
83rd
maybe my favourite movie of all time? definitely when i fell in love with benicio del toro. harsh, dirty, grimy, tense, the religious themes.. salvation.. amazin
Rated 23 Aug 2012
75
60th
Great performances, decent plot, unsuccessful non-linear narrative. Worth a watch.
Rated 10 Jun 2012
8
54th
Really fantastic performances all around, with a great script from Guillermo Arriaga. The unconventional narrative structure was a little bit confusing at first, but it came together well in the end.
Rated 10 Jun 2012
9
91st
A superbly-acted, complex drama that commands your full attention - the non-linear structure takes some getting into, but it wouldn't be half as potent without it.
Rated 28 Mar 2012
78
71st
Sean Penn needs to lighten up. Seriously.
Rated 22 Mar 2012
77
94th
#12#, Naomi.W!, liked, oldies(2) }*{ #00s(m)#, reviews, cast
Rated 29 Feb 2012
72
47th
It's a well made film, but I just didn't get wrapped up in it. There wasn't really a weak performance, I just didn't seem to care about an of the characters. The editing is well done, jumping back and forth in time, but I couldn't help but feel it would have been better if it was just told linear. The plot itself is pretty well constructed though, lots of interweaving characters, and even though they sound interesting on paper, for some reason I just didn't get into it.
Rated 29 Nov 2011
100
97th
AMAZING
Rated 15 Nov 2011
80
87th
A superb cast, who all give very good performances, a non-linear storyline about three sets of lives colliding together and great direction made this one of the best thrillers I've seen.
Rated 21 Jul 2011
81
56th
A moving, but frustratingly-structured drama with superb performances.
Rated 09 Jul 2011
70
69th
Bleak. If there's one word to describe this, it's bleak. And real. Great performances from everyone, but the non-linear timeline and editing are really distracting. Could have simply focused on Penn's character and, in my opinion, have had a much more powerful film.
Rated 18 May 2011
81
58th
A moving, but frustratingly-structured drama with superb performances.
Rated 19 Mar 2011
93
95th
i can't say i watched all the movies she acted in but for this one, naomi watts SHINES. not only her, all the acting in this movie is amazing. to me, it's the most touching inarritu movie.
Rated 13 Mar 2011
70
77th
Its story is complex and will take you a while to figure out and the acting performances are all great. It's a film that will keep you wondering throughout its duration, but also make you care about its characters by the end. I enjoyed it quite a lot, but its difficult to review thanks to the story being one of the most difficult things to describe. I say give it a watch, because it's something you should enjoy.
Rated 26 Feb 2011
80
66th
Hated this the first time I watched this about 2 years ago (0/10). My friend saw it recently and liked it so I figured I should revisit it. The characters are all detestable (deeply flawed if you want it in a more positive light) but it works. Knowing the story helps when watching it the second time around because of the fragmented structure. A cool movie which encouraged me to take a slightly different approach to film viewing.
Rated 25 Feb 2011
85
95th
what a trip. people who have seen memento before this are kinda used to decyphering a movie's event-timeline. it's not really that hard either, but leaves you with A LOT of questions right from the beginning. for some this may be the reason to pull the plug, others are drawn in even more. i consider myself the latter and enjoyed it a lot. the three main characters are performing expertly, with naomi watts on top (pun intended). go see it, if you haven't!
Rated 22 Feb 2011
95
95th
Santoalalla + Inarritu = 95 !
Rated 09 Feb 2011
52
7th
It's better than a lot of those "one event brings a group of unrelated people together" films in that it feels far more natural than most others, but the presentation of 21 Grams is an absolute mess. I'm unsure why Inarritu felt the need to jump all over the place; it doesn't work as non-linear storytelling, it's just cutting out of the story every ten minutes to take a quick peak at the climax. Maybe it's some attempt to make the ending feel profound, but it's just monumentally unsatisfying.
Rated 02 Jan 2011
83
74th
83.000
Rated 01 Jan 2011
80
63rd
Terrific
Rated 20 Dec 2010
72
49th
It has a good idea at its heart, but the execution is overly gimmicky. The moody photography and bleak atmosphere gets wearing after a while. Penn and Watts are miscast, del Toro is excellent.
Rated 30 Nov 2010
20
41st
"The film's images are whorishly cluttered with religious iconography and spiritual rhetoric but González Iñárritu hardly allows these codes to mirror a collective humanity's existential bewilderment." - Ed Gonzalez
Rated 22 Oct 2010
50
27th
An idiotic, pretension grasp for relevance that ultimately falls on its stupid, anvilicious face.
Rated 01 Oct 2010
90
87th
awesome
Rated 25 Sep 2010
73
88th
Solid performances and a great script.
Rated 07 Sep 2010
89
86th
I refuse to rate anything I would never watch again in the 90s, but having said that this is a really well done movie. So well done, I can't remember a movie that depressed me more - which is why I would never watch it again.
Rated 01 Sep 2010
86
74th
Great, but it makes you kind of want to die.
Rated 12 Aug 2010
50
39th
It was decidely worth watching. It was punchy, but leaned too far into the punches. It was overweight with guilt, fear, and the editing was the only interesting peak of the film. Would have been a terrible sin to tell it straightforward, though.
Rated 27 Jul 2010
87
88th
A strong emotional engrossing film with some fine performances. The non-linear sequence of the movie is very interesting. All the feelings are mixed up and it feels suffocated to look at the states of the three characters.
Rated 26 Jul 2010
75
72nd
A potent and powerful cinematic journey, a film that drags slightly in the middle but certainly pays off in the ending. The performances by the three leads (and especially that of Naomi Watts) are nerve-wracking, Iñárritu direction is inspired and Arriaga's brilliant script is the catalyst of this complex jigsaw puzzle of a film.
Rated 28 Apr 2010
21
21st
crappy melodrama
Rated 05 Apr 2010
87
55th
Such a depressing movie. if you like a good drama, check this one out.
Rated 08 Feb 2010
56
52nd
Good. Another movie that tells how we are capable of such senseless violence while still being able to love with such purity, the love transcending towards the divine and the violence straddling the line between honest mistakes and cold blooded murder. The story became a bit tedious at times but the performance by the three leads are simply mesmerizing. Perhaps the best of their career. Recommended.
Rated 05 Jan 2010
90
69th
A beautiful film featuring great performances. Under appreciated.
Rated 04 Jan 2010
50
21st
Depressing. Good acting all around. Did I mention it's depressing?
Rated 01 Dec 2009
97
95th
Sean Penn, Benicio Del Torro and Naomi Watts are brilliant
Rated 26 Nov 2009
40
3rd
Fucking forgettable.
Rated 16 Nov 2009
90
89th
Excelente!
Rated 24 Oct 2009
93
97th
perfect drama, perfect actors.
Rated 22 Aug 2009
26
6th
"They say we all lose 21 grams at the moment of our death." No, they don't. What a load of crap.
Rated 13 Aug 2009
80
22nd
Depressing and unrewarding to watch. The timeline is totally fragmented, so you can't tell whether you're watching a scene from the past, from the future or from the present. As a concept, a fragmented timeline can be done well, so that it adds to the movie. In the case of this movie, it made the movie uncomfortable and annoying to watch - it detracted from the movie. The acting was good and the story was OK, but the overall package... not so good.
Rated 06 Aug 2009
82
72nd
A very emotionally intense film with powerful performances from all the leading actors. I have rarely seen mental pain and anguish so clearly in a film. The non-linear direction does add an interesting element to the film but unfortunately it takes away most of the tension, revealing certain aspects of the plot much too early.

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