Hancock

Hancock (Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman) — Super-hero movies abound and it’s a bad trend.  They tend to all be alike.  So they’re about special effects, the motivation of the central character, and how good the underlying love story is.  Until Hancock.  Hancock (box-office “magic” Will Smith) is a reluctant hero, devoid of class, ego, or the consequences of his actions.  He fights evil but leaves lots of collateral damage.  The public hates him because the damage outweighs the good … or so they think.  One day, he saves the life of a PR guy (the omnipresent Jason Bateman) who wants to save the world who, as an act of thanks, sets about changing Hancock’s image and his approach to his fate in life.  The PR guy’s perfect wife (played by Academy Award winner and new U.S. citizen Charlize Theron) seems to hate Hancock for reasons beyond his imperfections, and that sets the stage for the rest of the movie.  Critics have been very unkind to this year’s Independence Day weekend Will Smith blockbuster because the movie changes directions abruptly — from comedy to something else.  They’re right, and they’re wrong.  Hancock is a very enjoyable movie well worth your time.  It’s just not a very good “film.”  The writing should be better, and the direction missed the mark —  the transition from a film that feels like Smith’s Men in Black to an imitation of Superman could have been handled more deftly.  But the movie will keep your attention and make you believe in immortality.