Hancock
July 3, 2008 at 8:30 p.m.
Oh Will Smith, you have come a long way since The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Smith takes the holiday weekend by storm in Hancock, a fresh account about what happens to superheroes after they stop being super and start to piss people off.
Smith’s Hancock, a Superman/Batman/Spiderman figure with one asshole of an attitude, comes complete with a huge potty-mouth and absolutely no will to do his job, nonetheless do it right. He spends his days passed out drunk on street benches instead of worrying about protecting Los Angeles from its high crime rate. That is until he meets (rather, rescues) Ray (played by Arrested Development’s Jason Bateman), an unsuccessful PR consultant willing to help change Hancock’s sour taste with the public and make him into a likeable hero again. Add to the mix Charlize Theron as Ray’s demure wife Mary, and you’ve got a recipe for good, messy fun, all within the barely 90-minute movie.
Although the sub-par special effects are a little distracting, Hancock is full of unexpected twists and turns that are designed to keep you on the edge of your seat. Bateman lights up the screen with his portrayal of a hard-working, loveable husband, and Theron never hesitates to challenge Smith over and over again. And Smith, God bless him, gives a saving grace performance much like he did in Independence Day, but is also able to give Hancock a heart of gold that you will be rooting for by the end of the movie.
Sure, there are a few bumps in Hancock’s road, but most are smoothed out by the time the credits roll. The mystery of Hancock’s existence is introduced as a back-story but slowly comes full circle by the beginning of the second half. And if the first half-hour doesn’t have you sold, just wait for the hilarious yet did-they-really-just-go-there? scene at the jailhouse that sets the tone that in this movie, anything, and I mean anything, can happen.
Rating: VVVV — Pay full price
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