21 Grams [Collector's Edition]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu makes his first English-language feature with the downbeat drama 21 Grams. Set in an unnamed U.S. urban center, the film uses a nonlinear structure to piece together the intertwined lives of three very different people. Paul (Sean Penn) is a math teacher with a heart problem and a troubled marriage to British wife Mary (Charlotte Gainsbourg). Christine (Naomi Watts) is a former drug addict who lives with her husband, Michael (Danny Huston), and her daughters. Jack (Benicio del Toro) is a born-again Christian with a wife (Melissa Leo) who has stood by him since his days as a criminal. Following a tragic accident, the three main characters are thrown into each other's lives. 21 Grams was shown in competition at the 2003 Venice International Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Features:
  • cc
  • 21 Grams: In Fragments - an insightful look at the making of the film

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Actress - 2003 (Naomi Watts)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actor - 2003 (Benicio Del Toro)

• Chicago Film Critics Association

•     Nominated Best Actress - 2003 (Naomi Watts)
•     Nominated Best Screenplay - 2003 (Guillermo Arriaga)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actor - 2003 (Benicio Del Toro)

• Los Angeles Film Critics Association

•     Won Best Actor - Runner-up - 2003 (Sean Penn)
•     Won Best Actress - 2003 (Naomi Watts)
•     Won Best Supporting Actor (Runner-up) - 2003 (Benicio Del Toro)
•     Won Best Supporting Actress (Runner-up) - 2003 (Melissa Leo)

• National Board of Review

•     Won Best Actor - 2003 (Sean Penn)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 2003

• National Society of Film Critics

•     Won Best Actress - Runner-up - 2003 (Naomi Watts)

• Screen Actors Guild

•     Nominated Best Actress - 2003 (Naomi Watts)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actor - 2003 (Benicio Del Toro)

• Venice International Film Festival

•     Won Volpi Cup for Best Actor - 2003 (Sean Penn)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Sean Penn - Paul
       Benicio Del Toro - Jack
       Naomi Watts - Christine
       Charlotte Gainsbourg - Mary
       Melissa Leo - Marianne
       Clea Duvall - Claudia
       Danny Huston - Michael
       Paul Calderon - Brown
       Eddie Marsan

• Director:

  Alejandro González Iñárritu

• Producer:

  Robert Salerno, Alejandro González Iñárritu

• Screenwriter:

  Guillermo Arriaga

• Cinematographer:

  Rodrigo Prieto

• Composer (Music Score):

  Gustavo Santaolalla

• Editor:

  Stephen Mirrione

• Production Designer:

  Brigitte Broch

• Art Director:

  Deborah Riley

• Associate Producer:

  Guillermo Arriaga

• Executive Producer:

  Ted Hope

• Costume Designer:

  Marlene Stewart

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Jose Antonio Garcia

• First Assistant Director:

  Michael Steele, James Alan Hensz

• Casting:

  Francine Maisler

• Visual Effects:

  Howard A. Anderson Company

• Special Effects Technician:

  Gary Pilkinton

REVIEW:

• Thanks to strong acting and a solid screenplay, 21 Grams is intellectually and emotionally compelling, even as the editing style hinders it from being as engaging as it could be. Guillermo Arriaga's script for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's 21 Grams was written chronologically, but with the knowledge that the story line would be fractured in the editing room. There are no bad scenes in the film. The actors all bring a gravitas to the material that grounds the film in what feels like truth, if not necessarily reality. Benicio Del Toro uses his expressive physical presence to reveal his character's inner conflict, effectively communicating a variety of inner states with little more than his posture. While Naomi Watts' character suffers the most in the film, she expresses an inner strength even in her most defeated moments that keeps the character compelling. Although she endures the most horrible life events, she is the one that seems most able to survive. She never loses control, she simply is so worn down that she begins to make bad decisions. Sean Penn is saddled with the most difficult role of the three, as his character is little more than a plot device. His survivor's guilt drives the story forward, but there are so many other actions for which the man should feel guilty that the character loses a three-dimensionality that the other two possess. Despite its fractured narrative, 21 Grams is at heart an old-fashioned melodrama. By aggressively chopping up the order that the events in the film are presented to the audience, Inarritu sacrifices letting the three main characters' emotional arcs affect the viewer. However, the style does succeed in keeping the audience in the moment of each of the scenes, something that might be difficult for an audience member if he or she were feeling overwhelmed by the many tragic events that precede any given scene. Inarritu may enjoy telling a story in this way, but he does not allow his audience to feel the full weight of 21 Grams. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi