(3 out of 5 stars)

Will Smith, Mr. July 4^th, stars as a superhero saving people but feels so uncared for that he could care less how he saves them, which gives him a bad public image. Enter Jason Bateman whose hapless business as a public relations executive is not working out well. After being saved by ‘Hancock,’ he decides to offer him a better image. His wife, played by Charlize Theron is none too interested. The casting of Theron makes the viewer question if her role is just as a supporting cast member wife. Isn’t she too big to be in such a role? Viewing the movie will answer that question.

Will Smith fills the role fine. I actually liked him better in this than in I Am Legend. He does not take himself seriously, which is the Will Smith we all love. He is a good enough dramatic actor to do the serious part, but a good enough wise-ass to become the uncaring unloved Hancock. He is definitely not your conventional superhero and this movie is by no means a Spiderman, Iron Man or Batman. This is purely a comedy.

The movie itself has some less than stellar special effects. None of Hancock’s demolishing or flying is believable; it all looks fake. They obviously spent too much on Will Smith to be able to make decent effects, but fortunately this movie is about Hancock, not the effects, so it does not really matter enough to be of concern. His actions of placing a car of bad guys on a big pole, throwing a beached whale into the ocean are amusing enough but really are a waste, even the on going threat to put one guys head into another guys ass is pretty cheesy and desperately asking for laughs. This movie works with its story or how to change an un-liked superhero into the one the city needs AND wants.

Once the movie ends the big PR stunt, the writers obviously realized the movie was too short, so we get to see the superhero’s weakness. The reason this works is it becomes a big set up of character development which makes Hancock more than a one-dimensional guy. It shows why he has stopped caring more than just not being cared for. He does not even know who he is. But he finds out and that in itself becomes his own weakness which plays out to the ending of the movie.

Nothing is mind-blowing about the background music or the direction. There is only one minor editing issue when they made a bad cut for the next scene. Maybe because I had low expectations is why this movie ended up being a thumbs up for me. I thought it was enjoyable and I really started caring about Hancock and his lack of identity. Will Smith brought that home and really saves the movie from its possibility of being a bit lame like My Super Ex Girlfriend. This is not a blockbuster, but it will be because of star power and kudos to Jason Bateman for his career turn around. He fits fine in his role. The good thing is that there is no need for a sequel for this one. Story was told and extending it would only hurt the careers of those involved. Smith can sign his ‘John Hancock’ on this one and call it a day and move on. He did well, now on to bigger and better things.

Similar recommended titles: My Super Ex Girlfriend and The Incredibles