Movie Reviews

Sony Pictures

Review in a Hurry: Will Smith stars as a boozing superhero who does good deeds the real American way—hungover and in haphazard fashion. It's hard to say which is messier: the collateral damage caused by his "heroics" or this movie's third act. 

The Bigger Picture: Hancock can fly; Hancock can punch; Hancock is bulletproof. Regrettably these things don't hold true for Hancock as a film, which starts promisingly enough—with the titular hero undergoing image rehab courtesy of an idealistic PR guy (Jason Bateman)—but ultimately gets knocked off course by a reveal of dubious dramatic value.

The effects team certainly did its work, though. Smith flies the way you'd think Michael Jordan might like to, pinballing through the cityscape, leaving shattered concrete in his wake. It's fun for a while to watch Smith grudgingly perform his civic duty, inevitably causing more mayhem than he prevents. Bateman likewise is in good straight-man form, though without the sardonic edge he needs to get real belly laughs.

But it's hard to find a clear villain in this piece, and even harder to accept the way Hancock eventually turns around. It's clear from the outset that our hero is on a quest for the meaning of his existence; the answer, when it comes, is a cop-out that renders everything that came before meaningless. Yes, it's a summer movie, and there are worse things than an enjoyable time waster, but like its hero, Hancock could be so much better.

The 180—a Second Opinion: Charlize Theron has a nicely underplayed role as Bateman's wife, which takes some of the unrelenting macho out of the equation (though Bateman does that himself, come to think).