21 Grams (2003)

Director:

Alejandro González Iñárritu

Writer (WGA):

Guillermo Arriaga (written by)

Release Date:

26 December 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Difference between dead and life

Plot:

A freak accident brings together a critically ill mathematician (Penn), a grieving mother (Watts) and a born-again ex-con (Del Toro).

Plot Keywords:

Faith | Mathematician | Guilt | Ex Convict | Born Again

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 20 wins & 34 nominations

Cast

Sean Penn	...	Paul Rivers
Naomi Watts	...	Cristina Peck
Danny Huston	...	Michael
Carly Nahon	...	Cathy
Claire Pakis	...	Laura
Benicio Del Toro	...	Jack Jordan
Nick Nichols	...	Boy
Charlotte Gainsbourg	...	Mary Rivers
John Rubinstein	...	Gynecologist
Eddie Marsan	...	Reverend John
Loyd Keith Salter	...	Fat Man
Antef A. Harris	...	Basketball Guy
Melissa Leo	...	Marianne Jordan
Marc Musso	...	Freddy (as Marc Thomas Musso)
Teresa Delgado	...	Gina

MPAA:

Rated R for language, sexuality, some violence and drug use.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #40185) | Portugal:M/16 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:III | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | Japan:PG-12 | Mexico:B15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Philippines:R-18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Singapore:R(A) | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Company:

This Is That Productions

Trivia:

The poem by the Venezuelan writer that Paul ('Sean Penn') quotes when he's in the restaurant with Cristina (Naomi Watts) is "La Tierra Giró para Acercarnos" by Eugenio Montejo.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When the doctor is listening to Paul's heart, he has his stethoscope in backwards. The ear pieces are supposed to face forward, but his are obviously facing backwards. In that position, not only would they hurt his ears, they would also hinder his ability to listen to the heart.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Michael: Check, please.
Cathy: Look Daddy, a volcano.
[Cathy blows bubbles into her soft drink]
Michael: It's very pretty. Drink up your volcano. All right. We're going. Mommy's waiting.
Cathy: Daddy, please. Just one more minute.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "ER: 21 Guns (#12.22)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Some Devil

An intelligent, sensitive and human portray of fatality

Alberto 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