It's a bird! It's a plane! Nope, it's a hungover Fresh Prince!

Rating: 7/10 (6 January 2009)

The summer of 2008 wasn't exactly superhero-free: we had The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk and, on a lighter side, Iron Man. Even lighter was Hancock, the least accomplished, but certainly most entertaining blockbuster that came by in that period.
Basic idea: Hancock (Will Smith) is a flawed vigilante. So far, nothing new: the whole philosophy of Marvel Comics' production has always been "superheroes with super-problems", and Superman and Batman ain't that perfect either, especially on film. The twist? Hancock's case is rather extreme - he has a drinking problem, which causes him to cause more damage than good. Okay, so Tony Stark also has a soft spot for the odd cocktail or two (hopefully, that aspect will be analyzed in Iron Man 2, as promised by Jon Favreau), but even he wouldn't greet a bunch of criminals he's about to arrest like this: "Your head is going up his ass, his head is going up his ass, and you get the short end of the straw, 'cause your head is going up my ass!". Is it really that surprising that Joe Public's nickname for the guy is "a**hole"? Didn't think so.
Lucky then for Hancock that Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), a PR guy, is interested in cleaning up his reputation, much to the dismay of Mrs. Embrey (Charlize Theron). This consists of sending the dude to prison for some time, so that he can sober up and understand what is expected from him. Once he gets out, he can become the real protector America needs, which is a good thing considering trouble is waiting around the corner...
This isn't the first time director Peter Berg has handled action and comedy at the same time: he previously helmed Welcome to the Jungle, starring The Rock and, uh, Seann William Scott (plus Christopher Walken), and landed an acting gig (along with Bateman, coincidentally) in the misdelivered Smokin' Aces (where the humor was the wrong kind of black). In this case, he benefits from a witty script co-written by Vince Gilligan, whose knack for weird comedy is well known to anyone who's seen The X-Files (among other things, he wrote an episode where David Duchovny switched bodies with, wait for it, Michael McKean). The "hero gone bad" premise is managed deftly, and as long as the focus stays on Hancock's troubled nature the film remains right on track. Too bad the screenplay calls for an uninvited twist halfway through the story which leads to a sudden shift in tone that can't be shaken off, no matter how hard Berg tries. It's as if two different scripts had been glued together and separated by the 45-minute mark.
However, the result isn't as sloppy as one could expect, courtesy of one of Berg's major qualities - his ability as an actors' director (quite easy, since he's an actor himself). Even Bateman and Theron, who are supposedly stuck in boring supporting roles, give truly charming and funny performances (now, who said Theron can't do comedy?). As for Smith, his drunken wise-ass act is arguably his most purely entertaining effort since Men in Black (the first one, obviously), and surely the only reason a sequel has been announced. Not that it's necessarily a bad idea: just get him off the wagon again and we'll eagerly await his return.