Hancock
Directed by Peter Berg
Starring Will Smith, Jason Bateman, Eddie Marsan, Charlize Theron
Rated PG-13
Release date: July 2, 2008

Hancock (Will “awww, hell no” Smith) is not your average superhero. He doesn’t wear a uniform, he drinks, he’s reckless, he’s insulting, and he doesn’t have a secret headquarters (unless you count Mel Gibson’s trailer from the first Lethal Weapon as a headquarters). After saving struggling PR specialist Ray Embrey (Jason Batemen) from being run down by a train (by flipping his car onto another and stopping the train, causing untold destruction), he’s forced to take a look at himself and see if he can do anything, with Ray’s help, to turn his life around.

It’s definitely an interesting premise, adding realistic and human problems to characters which are always viewed as larger than life. Considering the emotional and social issues that average joe’s encounter because of minor superficial differences, it’s refreshing to see the same rules applied to someone not-so-average. The end result, however, jumps from character study to shocking twist to typical superhero movie.

Despite the great concept, there are some minor issues with the story. The major twist halfway through asks the viewer to casually accept the passing explanations despite the serious repercussions on the plot. The “villain” seems like a half-hearted afterthought, his presence seems like more of a vehicle for Hancock’s character development than anything else.

The real problem with Hancock is that it’s a mature movie with mature themes wrapped in family-friendly packaging for a more market-friendly PG-13 rating. We get to see a superhero with real personal issues, depression from years of emotional isolation, turning to alcohol and, in turn, a half-assed approach to his “job.” Unfortunately, the movie’s way to resolve this, along with his womanizing behavior, is to laugh it off with physical comedy and some really awkward dialogue. Sure, kids will find it funny, but adults will likely roll their eyes at the film’s oversimplified approach to solving some serious emotional issues. Contradicting this however, is the film’s running gag of Hancock being infuriated by being called an asshole, reminiscent of Marty McFly and chicken. The finished product is uncomfortably somewhere between Sky High and Batman Begins; an ambiguous middle ground where the film’s edgy material is dulled and the jokes border on inappropriate.

Still, a part of me really wanted to enjoy Hancock. Superhero movies rarely take a serious look at the some of emotional issues their protagonists can endure. Hancock at least tried, and even given the cartoony nature of their characters and situations, Smith and Theron still give pretty strong performances. Smith has proven himself able to handle serious roles with convincing performances in the past, so I’m reluctant to shift the blame on his performance. He is, however, one of the film’s producers and I cannot speak to the influence he had on the film’s direction. The film still looks great and some of the physical humor (mostly from Hancock’s half-assed heroics) deserves a few laughs.

Ultimately, Hancock is not the train wreck some expected it to be, but it’s definitely a flawed attempt at deeper look inside the superhero psyche. Make it 20 minutes longer with a more convincing approach to character rehab and you’d have gotten a better movie.