In "Hancock", Will Smith plays a superhero - the kind that can fly, has super-strength and is impervious to bullets. So, y'know, Superman. But the difference between Mr. Smith's character and the Man of Steel is: Hancock's kind of a jerk. In fact for much of the script, by Vincent Ngo ("Hostage") & Vince Gilligan (of "The X-Files"), the cast has a lot of fun labeling Hancock an a--hole. On the surface, this conceit is a pretty fair premise for a superhero parody: what if Superman were a real jackass. But as "Hancock" progresses, and the plot starts to unravel when it should be coming together, not even Will Smith - Mr. Fourth of July himself - can save it.
The opening sequence of "Hancock" establishes the premise: as an action-packed, high-speed shootout unfolds on an L.A. Freeway (does this ever happen in real life?), Hancock sleeps off a hang-over on a park bench. Nudged awake by a child (who eventually calls him that seven-letter word), Hancock grabs a bottle of whiskey and flies off, taking billboards, birds and nearly an airplane with him. By the time he's saved the day, the would-be hero has left millions of dollars of property damage in his wake. Needless to say, the authorities, and his fellow Angelenos, are none too pleased with their local crimefighter; they urge him to go and help a different city instead.
One day, after Hancock rescues local PR exec Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) and causes a spectacular train wreck, a crowd finally turns on him. But Ray intervenes and vows to repay Hancock by improving his public image. And so a relationship is formed, and "Hancock", though clearly not the summer blockbuster audiences might be expecting, still holds your attention.
It's at this point, however, when Hancock is introduced to Ray's family, including matriarch Mary (Charlize Theron), that it starts to fly apart. Without giving too much away, the movie attempts to create a backstory for the Hancock character that makes little sense, and contains plot-holes that even Superman would have trouble leaping in a single bound. The further the film goes down this path - including a finale that's downright depressing and evokes way too many memories of 1993's infamous Schwarzenegger dud "The Last Action Hero" - the less interesting Hancock (the character and the film) becomes.
Will Smith is easily believable as a superhero. He has a charm and presence that goes beyond that of mortal men. And for a while, it's fun to see him play against type as a man who's less a--hole than thoughtless jerk. Likewise, Jason Bateman steals every scene, honing his particular brand of quiet humor into a perfectly fine point. But the two are lost in the latter half of the film, which even introduces a tacked-on villain who is the very definition of half-baked. Ms. Theron, for her part, attempts to have some fun - and add some depth - to her role, but she's given too little to work with.
"Hancock" brings to mind another movie with a similar desire to humanize a superhero, M. Night Shyamalan's underappreciated follow-up to "
The Sixth Sense", "
Unbreakable". Like "Hancock", "Unbreakable" was inexplicably dour. Since when is having superpowers so depressing? Yes, we know, with great power comes great responsibility. But, as "
Spider-man 2" - and more recently "
Iron Man" - showed, it can also be great fun.
