The film Seven Pounds is a litmus test for today’s Hollywood audience. To the naive filmgoer, it is a heartfelt, earnest glorification of altruism. To the truly cynical among us, it is an exercise in self-gratification by the world’s last bankable movie star. The reality likely resides between these two extremes.

When it comes to the box office, Will Smith is pure money. In this movie, he proves again that he has a well-honed and engaging screen presence. His character, Ben Thomas, having endured a life-altering experience, now roams the hospitals and poor neighbourhoods of his city dedicating his money, possessions and efforts to bettering the lives of seven hard-luck strangers for reasons initially unknown.

While the film has its affecting moments, its message of giving and the motives behind it are so uncomplicated that Seven Pounds and its protagonist occasionally strike a preachy, didactic tone. Thomas is so perfect that the beneficiaries of his kindness come off as weaklings by comparison. In fact, the changes in our superman’s personality don’t seem conspicuous enough for an inspirational plot of this sort. Before — burgeoning career in aeronautics, marriage that looks like a Cialis commercial, only a slight preoccupation with work. After — fairly inconspicuous non-facial scarring and a mournful thousand-yard stare when he’s in the shower. The filmmakers don’t fully commit to the imperfect “before,” nor do they bring Thomas low enough to inspire his selfless compassion.

The film does maintain an atmosphere of an anti-noir, in which a web of excruciating kindness is slowly unveiled, instead of the typical thriller’s mounting treachery. Events leading up to Thomas’s generosity are revealed in flashbacks, and the context of his actions is not always fully understood until the end. The enigma angle adds punch to the preaching and allows for a few solid reveals in the third act.

Still, the resulting movie wouldn’t be half of what it is had it not been for Rosario Dawson, who easily has the best performance here. As Emily Posa, a woman forced by a congenital heart defect to consider the implications of death far too early, she brings a realness that the movie sometimes lacks. Her role serves as a reminder that Dawson is an elite actress capable of much more than vamping in front of green screens for stylized comic book adaptations.

Seven Pounds is at times superficial, and the spectre of Smith’s messiah complex may indeed overshadow the authentically emotional scenes. Thanks to some great work by Dawson and some nifty editing, though, it’s still worth a watch.