More times than not a trailer informs the general audience about whether a film is something they want to see. The trailers for HANCOCK (which I've always felt was a terrible title) seemed like a mildly amusing superhero spoof. In the trailer, one feels it's a one-note story. Will Smith's superhero lead is a jerk and learns to not be a jerk – the end. But I must give it to Columbia Pictures that they left many of the secrets for the audience to discover during the movie watching experience instead of give it to us in the press ahead of time. There's an interesting twist that takes the story a nice new direction (even if it's not handled perfectly) and, gasp, real characters that we care about.
John Hancock (Will Smith, MEN IN BLACK) is the foulest superhero ever. In his efforts to stop crime, he often causes mass chaos and carnage. He's a drunk and mean. His demeanor is rooted in being the only god among men. He has dozens of warrants out for his arrest, but they are never executed because no one can contain him. After a disastrous business pitch, PR man Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman, JUNO) gets his car stuck on the train tracks. When Hancock comes to his rescue, the superhero causes a train wreck. As thanks, Ray invites Hancock to have dinner with his wife Mary (Charlize Theron, MONSTER) and his young son Aaron (Jae Head, TV's FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS). Mary becomes very worried when Ray makes it his mission to fix Hancock's public image.
Playing against type, Smith is a completely disagreeable man. He has no shame and really doesn't care. Mary certainly doesn't want her son to emulate this hero, but Ray sees the good in everyone. For years, he's been trying to convince companies to join his All Heart campaign where firms give their products away to the truly needy so that the world knows they are a company that cares. Considering he hasn't gained any backers, what does that say about corporate America? Inspired by Ray's kindness, Hancock tries to do better by turning himself into police. Will Los Angeles miss this troublesome superhero? That's what Ray is hoping for. As Hancock sobers up and tries on a smile for a change, the film doesn't make that the whole story. The midway surprise goes to the heart of Hancock's problems — his loneliness. His newfound attitude will be tested to see if he has really changed for the better.
As vile as Hancock is, the casting of the always-likeable Smith makes for a great counterbalance. Smith plays the sullen character with bite. Director Peter Berg and writers Vincent Ngo & Vince Gilligan don't soften him at all. Even when he's nicer, he's never rosy. As good as Smith is, Bateman steals nearly ever scene he is in. Even against a big wattage star like Smith, Bateman proves himself as more than just the sidekick. With perfect comic timing, he gets many of the film's biggest laughs.
Considering Hancock is a made-for-the-big-screen superhero, I didn't have any expectations going in. What Berg, Ngo and Gilligan have created is an interesting superhero mythology, which gets a little clunky toward the end. In a tradition of the best superheroes, however, Hancock is a troubled man whose personal issues are his biggest weakness. The film shows us that a superhero isn't a hero unless they have a heart, and surprisingly that’s what this summer spectacle has a bit of.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
