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Movie Review: Hancock
by Bill Wine
When a down-on-his-luck superhero, Hancock, saves the life of a public relations pro, the victim thanks Hancock, in true PR fashion, by creating a campaign to change the superhero's image
RATING: PG-13
GENRE: Comic fantasy
RELEASE DATE: July 2, 2008
RUNNING TIME: 92 minutes
VIOLENCE FACTOR: There are sequences of action violence, which are pumped-up and loud, but not graphic or intense.
BAD WORDS: Will Smith uncharacteristically spouts a number of obscenities; although, he manages to make the outbursts sound less harsh than they would ordinarily.
RACY? There's a kiss or near-kiss or two along the way, but the film never comes close to racy.
OTHER THINGS TO KNOW: When deciding which grandkids should be allowed to see it, heed director Peter Berg's comment in an interview in The New York Times: “The ad campaign for this movie is much friendlier than the film.”
GRANDS:
CRITIQUE:
The identity crisis that the title character has in Hancock pales in comparison to the one that the movie itself suffers. This idiosyncratic take on the superhero genre and its mythology started off as a decidedly dark fantasy-comedy and has been softened to appeal to Will Smith's wide demographic. But not enough. As it stands, it's neither fish nor fowl, with too many hard edges for youngsters and not enough meat on the bone for grownups. Many grandchildren will want to see Will Smith's latest, but be careful: This one is far too foulmouthed for the wee ones.
Smith plays Hancock, a superhero, the only one of his kind. He can fly, he's impervious to bullets, and he has tremendous strength and speed. He patrols Los Angeles, fighting crime reluctantly and unhappily. Because he drinks, because he's unkempt, and because he's particularly hostile (point made about not bringing young grandchildren), the public has turned on him.
When he saves a publicist, played by Jason Bateman, from certain death by pulling him out of the way of a speeding train, the grateful husband and father takes him home to meet his wife (Charlize Theron) and starstruck son. Bateman promises to use his public relations skills to repair the superhero's image, even if it means rehab, anger management training, and prison.
But we notice that the publicist's wife is uncomfortable in Hancock's presence and that she seems to have a history with him. Though Bateman outshines his costars, the special effects aren't special enough, the big twist twists the movie out of shape, the third act seems imported from another genre, and apparently no one was put in charge of thinking through the plot.
Nowhere near a superheroic tale, Hancock is half-and-half: half-baked and half-cocked.
GP Rating System:
Three Grands = Bravo, don't miss it.
Two Grands = Good enough, don't dismiss it.
One Grand = Okay, even if we dis it.
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