This is usually where I tell you where I watched it, and if it had audio description. It did, and i have no idea. Sometimes, i watch a random movie and bank it for when I need a review but didn’t have the time to watch it. I saw this back in July or August, and didn’t post a prerecorded YouTube review until November. I want to say Netflix. But, it may not be there anymore, so where I watched it five months ago, it could now be somewhere else. but, I had free time, and figured I’d check off one of the remaining Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu films I hadn’t seen yet.

What a wild and twisty ride this is. It’s so interesting to look back on this film, which stars Benecio Del Toro, sean Penn, Naomi Watts, and Melissa Leo, and think how young they all were. how so many of them hadn’t even given their best work yet. Sure, Sean Penn had been around the block, but this is before either Mystic River or Milk. For Del Toro, this was after Traffic, but still long before he really took off as an actor. And Watts? She’s incredible in The Impossible.

For Innaritu, he had yet to have Michael Keaton run around without his clothes on or put Leonardo DiCaprio inside a bear. 21 Grams is one of those stories where it seems like everyone is on a different path, but as the movie progresses, they all end up on one path. I’m sure, if I had seen this when it came out, I would have thought it was strong for its year. 20 years later, and I just think everyone has made stronger films, and the story doesn’t hit quite as hard.

To be honest, I wasn’t a fan of Innaritu the first time I really had contact with him when Babel came out. That was a film that just fell short for me, and i wasn’t deeply connected to every story. Here, you’re not really supposed to be connected to everyone the same, as some people make terrible life choices. Maybe, when Innaritu started focusing less on trying to make everything come full circle, he really locked in as one of the best visionaries we have. I certainly enjoyed 21 Grams more than Babel.

this is depressing as all hell, but if you have the opportunity to check out 21 Grams, I would recommend it.

Final Grade: B+