Hancock 2008
I had heard mixed reviews about this movie when it came out during the summer. It seems like people liked some of the comic stuff at the beginning and then got turned off by where the movie wound up going. I had no idea where it was going until it happened, but I have to say I enjoyed that direction and would say that it improved a movie that was starting to sag.
Will Smith has a hard time playing the unlikeable drunk who is Hancock, a heavy-handed and maybe not particularly bright superhero who can save the day but does untold damage in the process. Jason Bateman, an idealistic public relations expert, takes on Hancock as his special project and tries to redeem him. This remains one of the key threads throughout the movie, but there are other threads that come along and kind of push that out of the way. There is also a villain that feels tacked on because all superheroes need a villain. Bateman plays the same kind of guy as on Arrested Development and one of his guest stars from that shows last season, Charlize Theron, plays his wife. I enjoyed watching Hancock be a jerk and people being jerks back. That is an interesting take on the superhero story, and touched on by The Incredibles where all of the collateral damage done by superheroes resulted in them being banned.
This movie is funny, sweet, a little dark, and fun to watch. B+
Written: 08 Feb 2009