Burning Questions From The 2022 Oscars

Are the red carpet interviewers part of ABC's master plan to finally reach that younger demo for the show?

Judging from the opening, is the new strategy to turn this into the Grammys?

Was that a lot of green or what?

Should we just be grateful they didn't predictably start with a hosts making a silly entrance?

Do you remember hearing Beyonce's original song from King Richard before now? 

Are 3 hosts too many?

Didn't they have to address the category cutting controversy?

When are we going to find out who won Editing? 

Were you worried each host would have their own monologue?

Wasn't Amy Schumer's Don't Look Up jab pretty great?

Wasn't it completely true what she said about Sorkin somehow being able to make an unfunny movie about Lucille Ball?

Have we just found out where all this 'extra time' is going on the show?  

Was DeBose's win such a foregone conclusion that she didn't even seem surprised?

Did Regina Hall sell the hell out of that COVID testing gag or what?

So, guessing it's okay to joke about that now? 

What's Chamalet wearing?

Did anyone know it was the 30th Anniversary of White Men Can't Jump?

Feel old yet?

If not, will you by the time the show's over? 

Has the Dune technical sweep began?

Could they breeze by that Documentary Short announcement any faster?

But didn't it probably get more time than we expected?

True to her word, wasn't it cool Jessica Chastain attended that pre-taped ceremony? 

Were you waiting for security to escort the uninvited Rachel Zegler out of the building?

Did her bad week continue when she had to present with someone 15 feet taller than her?

Are you still in disbelief that Lily James played Pamela Anderson?

Does everyone remember where they were when...The Flash entered the speed force?

Didn't Dreamgirls seem really, really out of place on that superhero heavy list? 

Wasn't Wanda Sykes' segment with the great Tim Bagley at the Academy Museum by far the best skit of the night?

Where was the Flash entering the speed force exhibit?

How about Wanda's reaction to Hattie McDaniel's missing Oscar?

Did you immediately get chills from Youn Yuh-jung's reaction to Troy Kotsur's win?

And then that shot of the audience?

Between this and Dune's dominance, could things look any bleaker for The Power of the Dog? 

Isn't the music playing the winners up to the stage unusually good this year?

Hasn't the show been a lot more slickly produced than last year's debacle? 

How are we doing on time? 

Did Mila Kunis' speech mean we're not getting Zelensky?

Isn't that okay since he probably his hands full right now?

All things considered, aren't they handling the pre-taped awards segments fairly well?

Were you worried Dune would also win Costume Design and screw up everyone's predictions?

Weren't you relieved it didn't?

6 Oscars already for Dune?

Wanda Sykes as Richard Williams? 

Has Jennifer Garner aged in 15 years? 

Did you hear that ovation for Branagh's win?

Was that adapted screenplay loss to CODA the final nail in The Power of the Dog's coffin?

Isn't it kind of a miracle Minamata somehow finished third in the Oscar popular vote?

Was Rami Malek introducing that song in character as Lyutsifer Safin?

Didn't Billie Eilish's Bond theme sound better live than in the movie?

Did they just say "final exciting hour?"

Does that mean we're ending at 11:15?

Should I hold them to that?  

By that time, will Dune have won more Oscars than Titanic?

Must they announce a category winner the second after they return from break?

Isn't Ridley Scott just going to love Regina Hall's The Last Duel joke? 

Um, What the hell just happened with Will Smith and Chris Rock?

Wait, was that real?

Did Smith just open hand smack him across the face?

Over "G.I. Jane 2?" 

Does someone need to tell the Smiths that G.I. Jane features maybe the most badass bald woman in any movie?

Does this incident put the "Oscar streaker" to shame?

Was someone at ABC just instructed to sit on the censor button for 2 minutes straight?

Hasn't Smith taken this Richard Williams role a bit far? 

Should Williams now star in a movie about Smith?

Didn't you just know Chris Rock would make this show interesting and relevant again?

If that was staged, should both take home Oscars? 

Which was worse: The slap or look of smug satisfaction on Smith's face as he strutted off the stage?

Should someone tell him he's a week early for Wrestlemania?

Is it time to start worrying who they'll egregiously leave out of the In Memoriam montage?

Weren't there a huge amount of notable deaths this year? 

Wasn't that unusually upbeat music for an In Memoriam montage?  

Wasn't it a nice touch having Bill Murray and Jamie Lee Curtis appear?

Did they really omit Bob Saget?

If you thought the White Can't Jump Anniversary made you feel old, imagine how who those who grew up on The Godfather feel?

Has a year ever gone by when Diane Warren wasn't nominated for Original Song?

Not a question but...COSTNER! 

Did you see the audience hanging on his every word?  

Was Jane Campion mocking his heartfelt speech?

Well, at least The Power of the Dog won something...right?

Should Campion maybe avoid talking about the Williams sisters again during her acceptance speech?

At this point were you thinking that Will Smith's speech sure should be interesting?

28 years later, doesn't it still kind of sting that Pulp Fiction didn't win Best Picture? 

Were you expecting Will Smith to be tackled by security or police before reaching the podium?

A standing ovation...really?

Should Travolta and Jackson get ready to protect themselves? 

Can Smith's career ever recover from this?

Isn't that such a weird thing to say about someone who just won an Oscar?

Is he lucky that such a thing as consequences don't exist?

Should he be in jail instead of on that stage a second time?

And to think 24 hours ago the big concern was how "boring" the show could be?

Did Smith put to rest any lingering doubt that the incident could have been staged the second he got up there and started talking?

Was that the longest acceptance speech in Oscar history?

Did you notice they wouldn't dare play him off? 

Did all that early promise the show would end at a decent time just evaporate in front of our eyes?

Hopkins was right. Smith sure said it all, didn't he? And then some.

Hey, if they strip him of the Oscar will that compromise my near-perfect Oscar prediction score this year?

Wasn't it the biggest relief to see Jessica Chastain up there after all that? 

Wasn't Gaga great in how she helped and guided Liza Minnelli?

Was CODA's Best Picture win completely overshadowed or what?

How about those Oscar ratings NOW? 

If this doesn't raise them, will anything?

Then again, 3 hours and 40 minutes?

Can Chris Rock host next year?

King Richard

Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Starring: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Jon Bernthal, Tony Goldwyn, Mikayla LaShae Bartholomew, Danielle Lawson, Layla Crawford, Erika Ringor, Dylan McDermott, Andy Bean, Kevin Dunn, Christopher Wallinger, Chase Del Rey, Judith Chapman, Jessica Wacnik, Kaitlyn Christian, Marcela Zacarías, Rich Sommer
Running Time: 145 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

About halfway through King Richard we start getting glimpses of a side to Richard Williams that's more in line with public perception, fair or not. Something other than the hard-working father who coached his daughters Venus and Serena from the streets of Compton into the annals of tennis history. Director Reinaldo Marcus Green is carefully juggles the different facets of this man, while also setting the film up as a classic sports underdog story that in lesser hands could have been indistinguishable from the rest. 

Richard's most definitely a character, with the biggest surprise being how this does go into the weeds regarding the real person's personality flaws. So even as an inspirational, uplifting rags to riches tale co-produced by the Williams family, his moral shortcomings aren't ignored so much as sensibly repurposed for the type of project this is. By at least attempting to identify the source of his irritating, controlling actions, the lighter, restrained moments play better in retrospect, making it easier to develop a begrudging respect for what he accomplished, regardless of his controversial methods. 

Will Smith's terrific as the polarizing Williams who, with all his faults, certainly did something right. Then he couldn't get himself out of the way, before eventually coming around and letting go, as it's told here. The actor succeeds in making Richard endearingly unlikable, softening him just enough that the dedicated hustling and love for his daughters ultimately outweigh his prickly behavior. That it's more about him than the girls will be a criticism, but his story is theirs and vice versa, with the young actresses given a real chance to shine

As biopics go, this isn't an egregious truth offender, while also being the only good tennis movie we've seen by a large margin, getting a lot of tiny details about the sport and period right. Concessions can always be made with story and character, but the biggest relief is Green's concerted effort to avoid missteps in accuracy, allowing viewers to more easily engage with the world it immerses us in. 

It's the early 90's and Richard Williams (Smith) lives in Compton, California with his wife, Oracene "Brandy" Price (Aunjanue Ellis), three step-daughters and two daughters, Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton), whom he aspires to turn into pro tennis players. Having laid out a plan for their success very early on, he and Brandy coach them on the local public courts while working at night.  After distributing brochures and videotapes in an effort to get the girls professionally coached, Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn) agrees to take only Venus on for free, leaving Serena to continue training with her mom. 

After Richard's steadfast refusal to let his daughters play the junior circuit causes a split with Paul, coach Rick Massi (Jon Bernthal) enters the picture, agreeing to take both girls for free at his Florida academy with intentions of having them turning pro. Richard's intensifying objections to having them play juniors (a must to move to the next level) and his ubiquitous media presence soon make Rick wonder what he's gotten into. They clearly have the talent, but in envisioning a life for his daughters Richard could barely dream of experiencing as a kid, the same methods he used to get these girls where they are is now becoming a detriment. With their careers in danger of being grounded before they officially start, he'll need to start making some compromises, trusting them to succeed on their own terms rather than his.

Smith shows multiple dimensions to Richard that overlap more often than not. His determination to keep these girls off the rough streets of Compton and focused entirely on their schoolwork and tennis is by far his most admirable quality, occasionally even risking his life to do it. With a graying beard and unsteady gait, Smith plays him as an unathletic, permanently older guy you'd never know stepped on a tennis court in his life, if not for the warm-up jacket and shorts. And it works perfectly because that's who he was, gaining his knowledge not from playing, but studying books and magazines about the game. 

"Fail to plan and plan to fail" is the sign Richard hangs at the courts during their practices, remaining tirelessly committed to having them break down the doors long closed to young black female players, fully aware and prepared to shield them from the anticipated blowback and discrimination. So if Venus and Serena were a ticket for him to get rich as some have accused, he sure picked the hardest and whitest sport for them to break into. They'd inevitably be viewed as outsiders while battling a major headwind, which Richard uses as motivation to justify his often stubborn approach.

Zach Baylin's script goes further than expected in depicting Richard as press hungry, selfish and at one early low point, potentially violent. It's even acknowledged that he abandoned his kids from another marriage, a detail no one probably expected to be mentioned in this film at all. Left by his father while being beaten by white men as a kid, he swore he'd be an entirely different parent, and it's the fear of being viewed as a failure that's pushing him to tighten the controls on Venus and Serena. 

Once the girls do get professional coaching and it's time for Richard to hang back a bit is when he  becomes more overbearing, weary of them suffering the same consequences as a troubled Jennifer Capriati (Jessica Wacnik) or be taken advantage of by venomous sponsors seeing dollar signs. If Smith's turn is the headline, the most overlooked performance comes from Aunjanue Ellis, who as Brandy has a ferocious kitchen scene opposite him where Richard gets a harsh reality check, confronted head-on about how his own perceived failings could now be sabotaging these girls. 

Since Venus' rapid ascent comes first, it's almost odd seeing the younger Serena as a supporting player in her big sister's rise, knowing how dominant she'll eventually become. As Venus, newcomer Saniyya Sidney is completely charming and believable both on court and off, depicting a young teen who takes her newfound success in stride, realizing her dad's antics come with the territory. And while a double was used for some of the playing scenes, she still looks, acts and moves like a prodigy on the court, a far cry from all previous tennis films where the characters look uncomfortable even holding a racquet, much less swinging it properly. That watching them feels like you're catching glimpses of Venus and Serena in their formative stages is just about the highest compliment these actresses can get, nailing the big make-or-break aspect of the film.

Tony Goldwyn is especially strong as the veteran instructor getting push back at every turn from Richard until finally throwing in the towel. But it's Bernthal as the wacky, charismatic Rick Massi who steals the show as the larger than life personality guiding the girls while patiently handling their father, whose walls he starts to break down just a bit. There's also a few, fun era-specific cameos from tennis legends like Vic Braden (Kevin Dunn), John McEnroe (Christopher Wallinger), Pete Sampras (Chase Del Rey) and Bud Collins (Brad Greenquist) that serve their purpose and are cleverly sprinkled in.

The recreation of Venus' match with top-seeded Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (Marcela Zacarías) at the 1994 Bank of the West Classic in Oakland that closes the film isn't entirely predictable, especially for fans who may not even remember exactly what happened or how. It runs longer than necessary, delaying the inspirational ending that follows, but Green does enough right with the latter to avoid clobbering us over the head with its message, which feels earned. 

This has to be one of the few sports movies that strangely generates much of its third act suspense from the monetary value of an endorsement deal. Of course, it's more than that, entirely emblematic of a father's fight to have these girls seen for what they're worth, as players and people. Just don't tell him any of this was "incredible" or impossible." His plan worked, and while we can't say for sure whether Venus or Serena could have achieved the exact same results without it, they were the ones who finished what he started.

Seven Pounds

Director: Gabriele Muccino
Starring: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, Barry Pepper, Michael Ealy
Running Time: 123 min.
Rating: PG-13

*** (out of ****)

As much as I can’t stand it when movie trailers give too much away, it pales in comparison to my annoyance with people determined to spoil a film for me. I say this because in the case of the humanitarian mystery-drama Seven Pounds everyone I encountered seemed almost determined to ruin the “big secret” at its center, almost as if it was their civic duty. Worse yet, after reading a review in my local paper that shared even more info without so much as a spoiler warning, I unwittingly told others, unaware of what I was giving away.

Would my opinion of this film be any different had I not known the secret? I don’t think so. I’d like to believe I would have figured everything out about halfway through (if not sooner) anyway and any film that dependent on one piece of information probably wasn’t much of a film to begin with. In a way, knowing freed me up to step back and view the picture more objectively without the element of surprise. But I’ll be extending you a courtesy that was not extended to me in revealing only what’s absolutely necessary, which isn’t much.

The film is kind of a one-trick pony but it executes its one trick well. It’s one of those movies that the second it ends you think you liked it a lot then upon further reflection you realize there were definitely some issues, but surprisingly, not nearly as many as you’d think. It’s shameless and makes no apologies for what it’s trying to do, at least gaining points for brave earnestness. The end result is an uneasy mixture of inspiration and creepiness, with that latter rearing its head probably a little more than was intended. Almost like a Hallmark card… wrapped in a body bag.

The film doesn't necessarily break Will Smith’s streak of wearing screenwriters’ sins on his sleeve as he’s once again he’s called upon to elevate very difficult material, this time burdened with maybe his heaviest lifting. The "Seven Pounds" in question may as well refer to the weight of this script. It’ll be to no one’s surprise that he delivers once again, but it’s his leading lady who really impresses and shows us something we never knew she had. I kept hoping the film would catch up to them. It doesn’t quite get there, but there’s still enough to admire.
Smith is mild-mannered I.R.S. agent Ben Thomas, a man who sets in motion a mysterious master plan involving seven strangers, the details of which at first make sense only to him, but come into full view for us (and them) later. He behaves bizarrely and for unclear reasons cruelly harasses a blind telemarketer (a cleverly cast Woody Harrelson) as the first step. He then insinuates himself into the life of Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson), who’s dying of congestive heart failure, doing so in a way that goes well beyond the parameters of your typical audit. She’s trying to figure out why he’s being so nice to her. So are we. His excuse: He has this feeling that she really deserves it. He’s right. She does.

In the midst of his emerging relationship with Emily he consults his longtime friend Dan (Barry Pepper), who apparently owes him a favor, and along with Ben’s brother (Michael Ealy), he seems to be the only other person privy to his special situation. As the story progresses and flashbacks reveal new information, the pieces of the puzzle start to fall into place and head toward a conclusion you sense (and practically fear) is coming. When it does though, it packs an emotional wallop. No matter what you think of the central conceit, you can’t deny it inspires debate and introspection after the final credits have rolled.

The movie is essentially the romantic relationship that develops between Ben and Emily and if this didn’t work the entire film would have collapsed under the weight of its own ambitions, which are arguably too lofty as it is. Smith and Dawson must sell two strangers completely falling for one another in an unreasonably short amount of time and absolutely nail it. Every second they share on screen together and the sparks they ignite are a joy to experience, almost as if they born to play opposite one another. It’s the perfect match. Muccino’s film moves at a snail’s pace but I hardly cared because it just meant I would get to spend more time with these two likeable people as the mystery slowly unfolds. While it could have been exhausting watching a tireless do-gooder for 2 hours, their connection makes it more than bearable.
I really believed this woman was on borrowed time both physically and emotionally, which is no small feat for an actress to pull off. There will be those complaining its impossible for anyone to “look that good” if they’re dying, but I’d argue it’s statistically impossible for only bad looking people to get sick. They try their best to make her look as sick as possible (and do a passable job) but Dawson’s performance is completely independent of that irrelevant detail. She captures the soul of someone who’s at the end of her rope just looking for someone to cling to, but too strong and proud to actually ask for help. The “dying woman” is the most thankless clichéd role an actress can possibly be saddled with in cinema, yet she finds a way to make it resonate deeply. How great is she? Smith, giving his best screen performance here since Ali, can’t even compete with her. It’s a career best.

Smith may be coasting lately with his questionable film choices, but at least he never phones his work in after he makes them. Of all his performances this one reminds me most of his breakthrough dramatic role in Six Degrees of Separation in that he’s playing a seemingly normal individual hiding a life-altering secret. He’s so good at hinting at the awkwardness and trepidation Ben feels as he gets closer to Emily, knowing the closer he gets, the closer he is to losing her. You can debate whether Ben’s master plan can be viewed as selfless or selfish, but those in the latter camp should consider that the film isn’t endorsing his actions but instead asking you to consider why he feels the need to do this.

It’s also questionable whether what he does is even legally feasible, which Grant Nieporte’s script acknowledges but wisely doesn’t dwell on. When stacked against Smith’s recent safe choices like The Pursuit of Happyness, I Am Legend and Hancock this would finish at the high end of the curve. Compared to that mainstream fluff it could almost be considered downright ballsy in what it’s asking the audience to contemplate. At least the film boasts an original premise we haven’t seen before and leaves you thinking about its consequences. When was the last time you left a Will Smith movie thinking about anything?
Muccino, who directed him previously in Happyness came to these shores after helming the original Italian version of The Last Kiss. To the disappointment of some, he’s embraced the type of mainstream entertainment I’ve complained Smith gravitates too much toward. But this works effectively drenching what could have been a pedestrian story in a fog of mystery. Even if you can’t get past the far-reaching, ambitious premise in the script you have to admit that it’s tight and all the cards fall right into place. Is it manipulative? Yes, but no more manipulative than, say, Milk. At least this dramatizes its manipulation in an interesting way and isn’t masquerading as an inspirational Oscar masterpiece of a film that will change the world. It isn't shoving an agenda down our throats.

There’s a growing cynicism I’ve noticed among critics these days in that they resist embracing anything scripted to provoke an emotional response, even if it inspires thought. Maybe some are embarrassed to admit they were moved by the ending of the film. I’m not. Much of that had to do with Smith and Dawson’s performances. The philosophically polarizing nature of the film reminded me of a book a friend once lent me outlining a bunch of different moral scenarios that asked what you’d do in each. I couldn’t put it down. This story feels as if were ripped from its pages.

It’s funny how most casual moviegoers I’ve spoken with liked the film a great deal but critics ripped it to shreds. That makes sense because it wasn’t made for them, but the failure of movies like this is bad news for the film industry as a whole. It suggests that sometimes we tend to overanalyze and as a result potentially lose out on a fulfilling experience. Movies should have me leaving the theater thinking and feeling. Seven Pounds accomplished both.

Hancock

Director: Peter Berg
Starring: Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman
Running Time: 93 min.
Rating: PG-13

**1/2 (out of ****)

Finally, a movie that presents the notion of what it could mean to be a superhero in the real world a dead serious, straightforward way without once blinking or compromising its vision. Too bad that movie isn't Hancock. We all know the film that did that this year and who directed it. But it makes little difference since Hancock has some good ideas of its own anyway. No, scratch that. It has GREAT ideas and if they were executed to their fullest potential without obvious studio interference and script doctoring I’d be singing its praises. There’s a four-star film stuck inside Hancock struggling to get out and there's a small taste of it during the first hour. It teases us by introducing a character and storyline of uncommon intelligence and potential, then decides to take a giant crap on it in the name of the almighty dollar.

Studio executives know what you want to see and you don’t. You’re not ready for Will Smith in a dark, gritty role. It’ll turn you off and your kids will cry. All necessary measures must be taken to preserve his bankability no matter how much it compromises the artistic integrity of the film, embarrasses the other actors or insults the viewers’ intelligence. As usual, Smith is terrific (as is his two co-stars) but this film has a problem so big even he can’t save it. And director Peter Berg actually isn’t totally to blame for once. Much likes its superhero, the film has an identity crisis and the battle that’s long been brewing between Smith the movie star and Smith the actor comes to a head. It may be time for him to finally make a choice because I’m not so sure how much longer he can have it both ways.

Hancock (Smith) is not your average superhero. He drinks, swears and sleeps on park benches. While he uses his superhuman strength to save lives and put away criminals his drunken, reckless behavior causes millions of dollars in property damage to the city of Los Angeles. Damage he refuses to take responsibility for in a court of law. As crude as his behavior is it’s interesting to note that it stops just short of being crude enough to earn the film an R rating, a designation that would have opened up far more interesting possibilities for the story. Rumor has it the film had twice received an R before being edited to earn a more family friendly PG-13. Unfortunately, you can tell.
With the citizens’ opinion of him at a record low Hancock saves the life of the right person in public relations executive Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman). Ray has a plan to reform Hancock’s image and it’s testament to the script that the plan is smart and the advice he gives him is actually sound. Less approving is Ray’s wife Mary (Charlize Theron) who worries Hancock’s presence in their lives will have a negative influence on their son Aaron (Jae Head). Had the movie continued along this clever and promising route, building on its central conceit, we could have had one of this summer’s more entertaining blockbusters. Instead a chronically wrong-headed decision is made at the halfway mark that not only undermines everything good that came before but turns this into an entirely different and far inferior film.

The marketing machine behind the movie haven’t exactly gone to great lengths to conceal the big twist but I still only had just a vague idea what it was going in. It makes little difference though because I would have been equally furious with it either way. This second half is a complete betrayal, taking all the promising ideas presented and trampling all over them to deliver a crowd- pleasing popcorn movie that’s hardly pleasing in the slightest. It’s poorly written and constructed, bogged down in pointless, complicated mythology that would be funny if it wasn’t so painful. But most frustrating of all is how good the performances are and how hard the two supporting actors try to sell a script that’s trying to humiliate them at every turn.

As the last honest P.R. guy in L.A. the criminally underrated Bateman is given maybe his most interesting big screen character yet and they piss it away like nobody’s business. But it’s Bateman’s Arrested Development co-star and Oscar winner Theron who has to do the heaviest lifting and she really tries her heart out, but there’s just no rescuing writing this absurd. When the movie started I was worried they’d just have her play the neglected wife. That actually would have been far preferable to what they end up doing with her. She’s come so far as an actress that you can’t help but ponder what she was thinking taking such a ridiculous role. It’s like going back to square one.

The first hour shows us that Smith is willing to go to the darker, interesting places this premise calls for but as it progresses it’s obvious the purpose of Vince Gilligan’s screenplay was only to preserve the main star’s drawing power. What a disappointment. Smith’s subtle work as an arrogant, self-loathing superhero deserved a film that was on the same page as him. The finale is a mishmash of My Super Ex-Girlfriend and a high-octane effects laden episode of Berg’s former TV series Chicago Hope. He even scrubs in with a cameo for old times sake.

The main problems with the film aren’t Berg’s fault but he’s yet to find his own voice as a director. As usual, he comes off as a poor man’s Michael Bay shooting everything with music video style slickness and a heavy reliance on steady cam. The CGI here looks cheesy but given the situation it’s supposed to be over-the-top and silly so that’s fine. Laugh all you want but it takes a lot of talent to make films as entertainingly awful and fun as Bay’s. Imposters need not apply.

Berg’s first feature was the critically acclaimed Friday Night Lights, which he later turned into a critically acclaimed (but ratings challenged) TV series. He must really love it a lot because he’s been remaking it ever since. First came The Rundown, which felt like Friday Night Lights in a jungle. More recently he directed The Kingdom, which was essentially Friday Night Lights in Iraq. And now this, which still looks and feels like Friday Night Lights, but this time on the streets of L.A. There’s nothing wrong with sticking with what works and having a specific vision as a director (even if it’s someone else’s), but it should be evolving somewhat…shouldn’t it? What’s saddest is during the film’s first hour there were glimmers of hope that it was going to.

The Hancock script has been in development hell for so long the story behind it is almost legendary. Vincent Ngo originally wrote it on spec in 1996 under the far superior title Tonight, He Comes. Just that title implies a dark, involving character study and basically everything this turned out not to be. It was tossed from producer to producer until Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind) got his grubby paws on it and co-produced it with Michael Mann. How Mann, who specializes in dark, gritty, intelligent films could be involved with a mess like this is a debate for another time. But I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt that what he started with was far different than the finished product.

Despite its suspect production history and issues with the director I went into this fully expecting to enjoy it. This summer, The Dark Knight proved you can have your cake and eat it too, entertaining the masses while still delivering a story of substance. Something really got screwed up here. Everyone I know saw this but very, very few told me they liked it. Yes, it made a lot of money but it could have made even more with the right approach. Bad word of mouth proved it.

Will Smith recently drew the ire of film enthusiasts with the announcement he’d be starring in a big-budget remake of the beloved cult film Oldboy under the direction of Steven Spielberg. Smith can take solace in the fact that most people are probably so upset about this because of Spielberg’s involvement, not his. Or more accurately, they’re justifiably worried that Spielberg (who hasn’t exactly been on a hot streak lately) will neuter the story to attract the masses, which is exactly what happened here.
Smith has gone far carrying mediocre crowd-pleasing movies like The Pursuit of Happyness and I Am Legend because he’s so talented and likable but it’s time to move to the next level and work with better directors. He’s played safe and comfortable for too long and probably knows it. It’s the producers that need to take a hint. Hancock had all the goods to have been something really special. Instead, it ends up being a public service announcement for studio test screenings.

I Am Legend

Director: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
Running Time: 101 min.
Rating: PG-13

*** (out of ****)

There are only a select number of actors who are capable of elevating middling material a level higher. Will Smith has slowly been emerging as one of them. I Am Legend brings nothing new to the played out last man on Earth/post-apocalyptic genre at all. If you wanted to skip it I couldn’t blame you, but if you did you’d be missing Smith’s impressive performance which makes everything worthwhile. The story is so familiar it’s actually been made twice already as 1964’s The Last Man on Earth and 1971’s more memorable The Omega Man, both of which were based on the 1954 novel by Richard Matheson.

Even those unfamiliar with Matheson by name are probably still familiar with much of his work. One of the more underappreciated science fiction authors, he’s responsible for writing such masterpieces as Steven Spielberg’s Duel, the magical What Dreams May Come and many episodes of The Twilight Zone, like the infamous "Nightmare At 20,000 Feet" starring William Shatner. Another Matheson penned episode "Button, Button," is being released this year as The Box, directed by Richard Kelly. Yes, Kelly has still been able to find work.

That I Am Legend would probably rank at the very bottom of Matheson’s accomplishments says a lot about how talented he is. Whenever his name is attached to a project I know I’m at least guaranteed something of substance and thus far no director or screenwriter has managed to really mangle any of his stories in their transition to the screen, which is somewhat of a miracle. His adaptations have a MUCH better track record than, say, Stephen King’s. So while I had little interest in seeing this, I knew it at least had one thing going for it right off the bat.

The film, despite being standard and somewhat predictable, is executed as well as can be reasonably expected from this genre. What isn’t standard is Smith’s performance in a very tough role. He has to carry this whole story by himself and does so magnificently, thus proving his status as the number one box office draw is far from a fluke. Beyond that there isn’t a whole lot to recommend, but since he is this movie, it’s more than enough.

The year is 2012 and in New York City military scientist Dr. Robert Neville (Smith) is the last remaining survivor on Earth after a virus created to cure cancer instead wiped out the human race. We find this out in the opening minutes through a videotaped interview with the doctor who created it (an uncredited Emma Thompson in a cameo). The disease mutated and transformed anyone who survived into vampire-looking creatures that kind of resemble the ones from The Descent (except far less scarier). They hide by day and attack at dawn when the sun goes down, which creates more than a few nail-biting, race against time scenarios for Neville to get out of during the course of the film.

Somehow he’s immune to the virus and mostly stays locked in his apartment with his dog Sam, working hard to keep his sanity and find a cure for the deadly virus. Flashbacks are interspersed, giving us glimpses of Neville’s life before the outbreak and the burden of responsibility he feels for its result. Sending out daily AM radio transmissions, he holds out hope that someone else might still be out there as he struggles to survive.

I Am Legend is the latest dramatization of a genre we’ve seen executed thousands of times before. I was sure we met our vampire quota already in 2007 with 28 Days Weeks Later and 30 Days of Night but here’s yet another vampire movie, except this one doesn’t involve a number and is wearing the mask of a post-apocalyptic tragedy.

The actual vampire stuff is uneven and a lot of the scenes (especially any involving animals) are marred by some really fake-looking CGI that’s so bad I had to double-check at the end to make sure George Lucas didn’t have a production credit on the film. Where the film really excels is in providing tension and well-placed excitement, much of which comes from Smith’s desperate performance as someone who really is believable as the last man on Earth. I’m still not sure how exactly someone can be "believable" in such a role but I do know that Kevin Costner wasn’t in The Postman. Smith is here.

The best scenes of the movie involve Neville trying to keep his sanity amidst terminal loneliness. His days consist mostly of conversations with store mannequins and listening to Bob Marley, but Smith even manages to make that engaging for the audience. Saying that he carries the entire film is a bit misleading though because he does have some help in the form of a canine friend. If an Oscar for Best Performance By a Dog in a Motion Picture were given out this year Sam would have it locked up. Yeah, Smith is so good in this role manages to coax a terrific performance out of his canine co-star. Struggling to keep it together mentally Neville is forced to depend on the only family member he has left, even if she doesn’t happen to be human. The threat of something happening to the one companion Neville can depend on looms very large and we know that if it does, his grip on reality will officially begin to slip away.

The director of the film is Francis Lawrence and this can’t be looked at as anything other than a success for someone who helmed the dreadful Constantine a few years ago. Many fans of Matheson’s novel were supposedly angered at the liberties screenwriters Akiva Golsdman and Mark Protosevich took with the ending. I don’t know why considering the choice of ending is hardly a slap in the face regardless of what happened or didn’t in the book. It’s satisfying and makes sense…at least for this film. Where the movie probably bites off more than it can chew is when it tries to introduce themes like science vs. religion late into the story. It was a noble effort but this is just post-apocalyptic disaster movie and heavy themes like that will always play better in Matheson’s writing than here.

The introspective first hour promises something more akin to the novel, but eventually that gives way to a more conventional Hollywood blockbuster. Still, this wasn’t Matheson’s deepest or most exciting work to begin with so there wasn’t a whole lot that could have been done. What needed to be accomplished was, even if I can’t imagine the movie will have anyone rushing out to read the novel. I pitied the poor film that was following Southland Tales on my viewing list, especially if it fell under the sci-fi banner, but this gets the job done. There isn’t a lot to I Am Legend but with Will Smith this in command of the material, a little can go a very long way

The Pursuit of Happyness

Director: Gabriele Muccino
Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Thandie Newton, Brian Howe, James Karen, Dan Castellaneta
Running Time: 117 min.
Rating: PG-13

*** (out of ****)

The Pursuit of Happyness poses a very interesting question: Is it possible to recommend a movie on the basis of a single performance even though at times the script seems like it was written by a fifth grader? After some deliberation I came to the conclusion that the answer is yes. I pose this question because this film seems to exist in a movie universe vacuum where there are only good or bad people, either very good or very bad things happen to you and everything is in black and white. You won't find any subtle nuances in this script and it's likely you could follow along with your screenwriting tip book and check off every event as it happens.

I've yet to see all the performances of this years Best Actor Academy Award nominees but I'm willing to bet no one had a more uphill battle and worse script to work with than Will Smith. He didn't deserve an Academy Award. He deserved a gold medal. Smith is forced to sell some pretty contrived stuff in this movie and he not only pulls it off, he manages to trick us into thinking we're watching a great motion picture. What we're really watching is a good motion picture pulling our strings, but Smith isn't the one pulling them. He's for real. He becomes Chris Gardner. He believes in Chris Gardner, and as a result, so do we. I didn't want to give in but I had to. You know where the story's going to end up way before it gets there but when it does you'd have to have to have a heart of stone not to be affected by it.

In 1981 San Francisco, Chris Gardner (Smith) is struggling to just make ends meet as a salesman to support his wife, Linda (Thandie Newton) and son Christopher (Smith's own son Jaden in a likeable performance that never gets too cute). He sells bone density scanners to medical professionals who quickly spot the giant contraption as an unnecessary and costly expense. Christopher spends his days at a day care facility where they spell happiness with a "y" and watch Bonanza and Love Boat all day. One of the nice touches of the film is that Chris is geniunely concerned and involved about the type of care his son is getting and his education while the day care worker and even his wife could care less. It's representative of the uphill battle Chris will face the entire film. They're way behind on bills and rent and Linda is frustrated having to work double shifts to support the family while Chris can barely sell a single machine.

Perhaps I've done a bad job explaining this because I've made it sound like the character of Linda is a rational human being, when in fact she's one of the most broad caricatures of a wife I've ever seen depicted on screen and Newton hits every wrong note playing her. She may as well have walked around wearing a t-shirt with a giant minus sign on it she's so negative. The glass isn't even half empty with this woman. There is no glass. Whenever Chris tries to even talk she screams at him in this shrill, annoying voice made all the worse because Newton is unsuccessfully attempting to hide her accent. Newton is a talented actress and I'm shocked she had a performance this bad in her, but in all fairness she's not given anything to work with.

This is based on a true story, but if Gardner's real ex-wife is anything like the character in this film than this is even more of an American success story than I thought. I don't know how he survived. I'm guessing that's not the case though and she likely resembled a real human being with feelings and emotions, not the one-dimensional shrew she's portrayed as here. Supposedly Newton stayed in character during the entire shoot. That's a nightmare I'd rather not think about.

Chris sees a way out of his funk when he notices a guy pull up in a nice corvette and asks him two questions that will change his life: "What do you do?" and "How do you do it?" He's a stockbroker at Dean Witter and at this point Gardner's voice over narration cuts in to let us know they're among the happiest people he's ever seen. I don't know about you but every stockbroker I've ever seen has been completely miserable and ready to hang themselves due to the insane amount of stress and pressure the job carries. I'm sure there are also many that love their jobs. It just so happens those will be the only ones you'll see in this film.

Chris finds out the answer to his second question and applies for a competitive internship at Dean Witter, which he lands by solving a Rubik's Cube in the back of a taxi cab. I'll give you a wild guess whether Linda is supportive of Chris' new career choice or whether she screams at him at the top of her lungs. She leaves him and strangely doesn't really put up much of a fight to keep little Christopher thus completing her transformation of all-around evilness. Maybe even she knew a broke Chris would still provide better care for her son than she ever could. Before long Chris is evicted from his apartment, thrown in jail, hit by a car and is forced with his son to stay in run down hotels, homeless shelters and in one particularly powerful and painful scene, a subway station restroom. He also seems to be in the running to capture the world record for parking tickets. How bad is it? He's getting tickets when he doesn't even own a car.

Steve Conrad's script for this film is downright embarrassing at times. There's one scene on a basketball court where Gardner talks to his son in a way that's so out of character it belongs in another movie, only take it back a second later to give a huge inspirational speech about how wrong he was. Luckily the movie settles into a groove after Gardner is evicted and he's out on the streets with his son. It's here where the real-life father and son chemistry between Smith and Jaden take over and Smith is so earnest and so good in this role he hides most of the film's contrivances.

There's a great scene where he shows up straight from jail, covered in paint and without a shirt to his Dean Witter interview. He's forced to deliver some pretty ridiculous dialogue but he sells it all like a pro and we believe by the end of the scene, despite his appearance, these guys would be crazy not to hire him. At times I felt the whole movie was a battle between Smith's acting and Conrad's contrived script. Smith won. I could only imagine what Smith could have done with a screenplay that had some juice behind it, but this isn't really the type of film made to have to you thinking about deep, complex issues when it's over. It's an audience pleasing, life-affirming movie that delivers a strong message. To that end, it's successful.

The film was made Italian director Gabriele Muccino who's making his English language feature debut. He previously directed L' ultimo bacio, which some may recognize as the Italian film that was adapted into last year's The Last Kiss starring Zach Braff. Supposedly he was chosen by Smith because he wouldn't bring a cynical view of the American dream to this movie the way an American director would. I can kind of see his point and Muccino does as good a job as possible at hiding all the flaws in Conrad's script and the film moves at a nice, even pace.

I remember years ago seeing a piece on TV on the real Chris Gardner and thinking in the back of my mind that it would probably make a pretty good movie. It does, even though it could have been a little smarter. Still, it's refreshing to see a movie that knows what it is and doesn't make any apologies for it. We're so used to seeing movies with sex, violence, war, murder and natural disasters that we sometimes forget it's important to see films that make us feel good about ourselves and the world around us. The Pursuit of Happyness may be trite and simplistic, but the real story behind it and what it says isn't.