Will Smith as Bagger never worked

Rating: 8/10 (12 July 2005)

I just saw this movie again for the first time since it was first released and there is only one thing that has bothered me since that first viewing: Will Smith as Bagger is too young. I know he was a hot actor when the movie was made but the part cries for Danny Glover or Morgan Freeman. A little age on the character would have made the wisdom and witticisms work. As it is, Bagger just comes across as a vaudeville act, rather than a vagrant that has seen the wear and tear of life, including the downtrodden world that a black man would have experienced at that point in time. America in the 20's was not that far removed from the slave days and the reflections on long gone relatives and friends would have worked with middle age as a bridge. Great part, just not enough mileage on the actor.