Review by Brian Tallerico

Do you cheer for the player who swings for the fences even if he hits a foul ball? What if he grounds into a double play? How about if he strikes out with the bases loaded? Pick your baseball metaphor and apply it to Hancock. No matter which you choose, the mighty Willie has struck out. Hancock is the kind of film that can drive a critic stark raving mad because it features an undeniably ambitious, swing-for-the-fences third act twist, a daring move of the kind that Hollywood could certainly use a lot more of, but it completely misses the ball. I'll tread lightly and give away nothing, but Hancock starts as one movie, the anti-hero flick that you think you're seeing, turns into another one, and then devolves into a puddle of about three or four more. Summer movies are usually so devoid of ideas that it feels anti-productive to criticize one for having too many, but when a movie falls apart this completely, there's nothing left to do.

The "first" Hancock is easily the best. Remember that long preview that we thought gave away the entire movie? That's just the first act. Hancock (Will Smith) is an alcoholic superhero in need of a good PR man. He stumbles across one named Ray (Jason Bateman), who offers the wreck-tacular hero his assistance after Hancock saves him from an oncoming train. Ray is married to a mysterious woman (Charlize Theron) who clearly doesn't trust the destructive hero and doesn't want him anywhere near their son. Hancock's image transformation starts by atoning for the damage he’s caused by actually going to jail. When L.A. realizes that they need him (crime rises by 30% just five days after Hancock heads behind bars), the Mayor calls for the hero again, who shows up in a cool new suit and even says "Good job" to the cops he's helping stop a bank robbery. What a nice guy.

So far, so good. The anti-hero turned good guy is a common theme in superhero cinema (look no further than Iron Man). Then, as if switching channels, Hancock plants a left hook on the audience and goes in a completely different direction. Once again, I'd never dream of giving anything away here, but, at first, the twist feels brilliant. It's so unexpected and opens so many doors that I marveled at where director Peter Berg and writers Vy Vincent Ngo and Vince Gilligan would go with it. The problem is they decided to go everywhere simultaneously. The fun action movie runs through several other genres (drama, satire, action, myth, commentary on heroism, and more) as you can literally watch the film unravel until we reach a conclusion that had me grimacing it's handled so poorly. In a summer of some lamely executed action (Speed Racer, Get Smart), the climax of Hancock may be the moment that I least want to revisit. Hancock is a movie about a hero that everyone wants to like, but he behaves like such a bull in a china shop when he's trying to save the day that they just can't. Ironically, the movie follows the exact same pattern. It's a movie that I truly want to like for its originality and daringness to blow itself up midway, but it just leaves a path of destruction in its wake.

Rating: TWO BONES

Release Date: July 2nd, 2008

Rating: PG-13

Starring: Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman, and Eddie Marsan

Director: Peter Berg

Writers: Vy Vincent Ngo & Vince Gilligan