21 Grams

 

21 Grams (2003)

NEUTRAL
Various
Movie Reviews85%
R
2003, Drama, 2h 5m
RT Critics’ Score: 80% (UNBIASED)
RT Audience Score: 86%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 2 Oscars
30 wins & 80 nominations total

 

Critics Consensus

Alejandro González Iñárritu deftly weaves an uncommonly structured narrative with panache in 21 Grams, a stylish, haunting drama full of fine performances
 

Audience Consensus

21 Grams is a movie that will make you feel all the feels, but not in a cheesy way. The performances are top-notch and the plot is cleverly woven together. It’s not a movie for the faint of heart, but if you’re looking for a thought-provoking drama that will leave you feeling emotionally drained (in a good way), then this is the movie for you. Just make sure you have some tissues handy.
 
Movie Trailer

Movie Info

Storyline

Paul Rivers, an ailing mathematician lovelessly married to English émigré; Christina Peck, who’s hiding a secret past; and Jack Jordan, an ex-convict who has found Jesus are brought together by a terrible accident which changes their lives.

 
Production Company(ies)
Beimo Films, Persistence of Vision Films,
 
Distributor
Focus Features
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Leisure Lodge, 1204 E Santa Fe Avenue, Grants, New Mexico, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language, sexuality, some violence and drug use
 
Year of Release
2004
 

Technical Specs
  • Color:
    Color
  • Sound mix:
    DTS Dolby Digital
  • Aspect ratio:
    1.85 : 1
  • Runtime:
    2h 5m
  • Language(s):
    English
  • Country of origin:
    United States
  • Release date:
    Release Date (Theaters): Jan 9, 2004 Wide
    Release Date (Streaming): Mar 16, 2004

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Naomi Watts, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Melissa Leo, Clea Duvall, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, written by Guillermo Arriaga, drama, R rating, box office gross $16.2M, reviewed by Will Self, Paul Julian Smith, Nell Minow, Nick Schager, Nev Pierce, Jeannette Catsoulis, Sean Penn as Paul Rivers, Benicio Del Toro as Jack Jordan, Naomi Watts as Cristina Peck, Charlotte Gainsbourg as Mary Rivers, Melissa Leo as Marianne Jordan, Clea Duvall as Claudia, Robert Salerno as producer, Alejandro González Iñárritu as producer, Focus Features as distributor, 2h 5m runtime, English original language, released in theaters on January 9, 2004, released on streaming on March 16, 2004, drama full of fine performances, unpredictable ways, terminal heart condition, car crash, ex-con, husband, resurrection, grief, hope, redemption, tragedy, crime thriller, non-linear narrative, puzzle, thought-provoking, haunting, stylish, panache, uncommonly structured narrative, sympathetic characters, clever plotting
 

Box Office Details

Worldwide gross: $60,466,876
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $95,385,675
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,041
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 10,401,928
 
US/Canada gross: $16,290,476
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $25,698,005
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,329
US/Canada opening weekend: $274,454
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $432,947
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,438
 
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $20,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $31,549,728
Production budget ranking: 1,128
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $16,989,529
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $46,846,418
ROI to date (est.): 97%
ROI ranking: 953

 
Movie Cast & Crew

Cast & Crew

Sean PennPaul RiversBenicio Del ToroJack JordanNaomi Watts
Sean Penn
Paul Rivers
Benicio Del Toro
Jack Jordan
Naomi Watts
Paul Rivers
Jack Jordan
Cristina Peck
Mary Rivers
Marianne Jordan
Sean Penn – Paul Rivers
Benicio Del Toro – Jack Jordan
Naomi Watts – Cristina Peck
Charlotte Gainsbourg – Mary Rivers
Melissa Leo – Marianne Jordan
Clea Duvall – Claudia
Director – Alejandro González Iñárritu
Producer – Robert Salerno, Alejandro González Iñárritu
Writer – Guillermo Arriaga

 

Alejandro González IñárrituGuillermo ArriagaRobert SalernoAlejandro González Iñárritu
Alejandro González Iñárritu
Guillermo Arriaga
Robert Salerno
Alejandro González Iñárritu
Director
Writer
Producer
Producer
Producer

Director(s)
Alejandro González Iñárritu
 
Writer(s)
Guillermo Arriaga
 
Producer(s)
Robert Salerno, Alejandro González Iñárritu

 
Movie Reviews & Awards
Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
30 wins & 80 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews
Will SelfPaul Julian SmithNell MinowNick SchagerNev Pierce
Will Self
Paul Julian Smith
Nell Minow
Nick Schager
Nev Pierce
London Evening Standard
Sight & Sound
Common Sense Media
Lessons of Darkness
BBC.com
21 GRAMS
 All Critics (182) | Top Critics (47) | Fresh (147) | Rotten (35)
 21 Grams soars into the chilly empyrean of first-class film-making by virtue of the most traditional of values: sympathetic characters and clever plotting.
 
 January 9, 2018
 
 Will Self
 London Evening Standard
 TOP CRITIC
 21 Grams is convincing both as a mid-American document and as the universal moral drama that it aims to be.
 
 June 18, 2012
 
 Paul Julian Smith
 Sight & Sound
 TOP CRITIC
 Thought-provoking film not for tweens/young teens.
 
 August 26, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Nell Minow
 Common Sense Media
 TOP CRITIC
 The performances, by and large, outweigh the film’s unnecessary metaphorical gunk.
 
 May 3, 2005 | Rating: B
 
 Nick Schager
 Lessons of Darkness
 TOP CRITIC
 A bleak, rather obvious melodrama disguised by a tricksy, time-splicing structure.
 
 March 16, 2004 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Nev Pierce
 BBC.com
 TOP CRITIC
 It demands a great deal of actors whose faces and bodies are, for a while at least, our only temporal coordinates. Yet all are off-the-charts remarkable.
 
 January 21, 2004 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Jeannette Catsoulis
 Las Vegas Mercury
 TOP CRITIC
 A highly emotional, thought provoking drama that easily lives up to the hype, 21 Grams is a film that has all of its bases covered: script, acting and direction.
 
 July 6, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Matthew Pejkovic
 Matt’s Movie Reviews
 “21 Grams” commands a running discourse that runs as a constant thematic thread through all of humanity. The movie delivers life as a floating mysterious entity that we all share. It’s very few films that achieve anything remotely close.
 
 April 18, 2009 | Rating: A-
 
 Cole Smithey
 ColeSmithey.com
 August 7, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Mark Halverson
 Sacramento News & Review
 Une oeuvre d’une rare intensit dramatique qui n’a aucunement besoin de suivre un cheminement narratif classique pour susciter une vive raction chez le spectateur
 
 February 5, 2008 | Rating: 8/10
 
 Jean-François Vandeuren
 Panorama
 The structure simply doesn’t let any of the characters build an arc of growth or despair.
 
 July 23, 2007 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Rob Gonsalves
 eFilmCritic.com
 The story never grabbed me, and the jumps in narrative time seemed arbitrary, soon becoming a distressing obstacle rather than a narrative lynchpin. Not as good as it wants to be.
 
 June 21, 2007 | Rating: C+
 
 Jason Gorber
 Film Scouts…

 
Movie Plot & More
Plot
Paul Rivers, an ailing mathematician lovelessly married to English émigré; Christina Peck, who’s hiding a secret past; and Jack Jordan, an ex-convict who has found Jesus are brought together by a terrible accident which changes their lives.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The performances by the cast, including Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, and Benicio Del Toro, are praised as “remarkable” and “fantastic.”
 
Movie Links Wikipedia and Rotten Tomatoes

Links
Wikipedia: Go to Wiki
Rotten Tomatoes: Go to RT

 
Where to Watch

Where to Watch

 
Move the ScoreAlejandro-González-Iñárritu.jpg

Movies, Streaming