Posts Tagged ‘HANCOCK’

Metro In Focus: In defence of Charlize Theron: GQ gaffe out of character

Screen Shot 2016-04-18 at 12.11.17 PMBy Richard Crouse – Metro In Focus

In polite society no one would dare ask a stranger about his or her father’s violent death, but celebrity culture is not polite society.

Over the years I’ve heard interviewers ask questions ranging from the innocuous — “What are you wearing?” — to the silly — “How do you keep your bum in such great shape?” — but rarely have I heard anything as unnecessarily meddling as the query aimed at Charlize Theron during a press conference I hosted several years ago.

A reporter asked the actress about seeing her mother shoot her abusive, alcoholic father dead when she was a teenager. But instead of breaking down Theron said, “I’m not talking about that,” with an icy finality that made everyone freeze.

I admired her for not over sharing, not spilling the intimate details of her life à la the Kardashian Klan. She’s careful what she says to the press, avoids scandal and damage controls the ones that inevitably pop up in every celeb’s life. For instance, recently she said, short and sweetly, “We both decided to separate,” when accused of “ghosting” on her romance with Sean Penn.

She understands some things should only be spoken about when and where she chooses and not at the behest of an aggressive reporter looking to dredge up painful memories for the sake of “good television.” Theron is media savvy so I was surprised a few weeks ago when she caused a media hurly burly with comments about the burden of being beautiful.

Chatting up her new film The Huntsman: Winter’s War with British GQ she said, “How many roles are out there for the gorgeous, BLEEPINGing, gown-wearing eight-foot model? When meaty roles come through, I’ve been in the room and pretty people get turned away first.”

She is a beautiful woman, that is as clear as the perfectly positioned nose on her face, but is she intimating that being beautiful has harmed her career?

Turns out she wasn’t, or so she claims. Alleging a misquote, she later apologized, saying that playing “deconstructed characters” appeals because, “how many characters really are there out there for a woman wearing a gown? You have to play real people.

The mea culpa was unnecessary. She works in a business where beauty is a commodity.

The problem with her earlier statement is that publicly acknowledging one’s own looks carries with it a hint of arrogance, a suggestion that winning the genetic lottery somehow makes you superior, but she simply said something others already have.

Keira Knightley claims she almost lost the role in Pride and Prejudice because the director thought she was too pretty and Jessica Biel says being Esquire’s 2005 Sexiest Woman cost her work.

Theron may have missed out on a job or two because of her looks, but it’s also an element of what made her a star.

That and talent, and just as you wouldn’t apologize for skin colour or having red hair or being tall or short, she doesn’t need to say sorry for being beautiful.

HANCOCK: 3 ½ STARS

2479495-john-hancock-2Hancock is unlike any other superhero. The Hulk, Batman and Daredevil all have serious personal issues but none have the PR problems that plague Hancock. When stopping crime and thwarting the bad guys the Los Angeles based superhero usually does more harm than good—the price tag for one rescue reaches 9 million dollars after he rips up streets, and damages buildings. He’s hated by the very people he tries to protect, and on top of it all suffers from alcoholism, anger issues, amnesia and very low self esteem. Dr. Phil would have a field day with this guy.

He’s anything but mild mannered. When we first meet Hancock (Will Smith) he’s passed out drunk on a bus shelter bench while a major crime takes place nearby. Awoken by a child who asks him to help, he sneers, rubs his unshaven face and tries to wrap his alcohol addled brain around the situation. After an orgy of destruction that sees the bad guys deposited atop the Capitol Records building, Hancock is criticized by everyone from politicians to television talking head Nancy Grace who says that he has no regard for anyone other than himself. When he saves the life of a big-hearted PR flack (Jason Bateman) Hancock is set on the road to career rehabilitation.

That’s just the first forty-five minutes. It’s jokey, action packed and essentially what you see in the trailer. It’s in the second half that Hancock deepens, becoming one of the very few superhero origin stories not to have originated in a comic book that actually works. I can’t give you any details without giving away some major spoilers and ruining the fun, but rest assured, director Peter Berg makes sure there is a good action to story ratio as the movie takes several unexpected turns.

In the lead role Will Smith is up to the task of adapting to the film’s ever changing demands, effortlessly shifting gears from the light tone established early on to the darker mid section and the mythic romance of the coda. He draws on his natural charisma and charm, infusing Hancock with highlights from his past films. There’s a dash of Men in Black’s wonky humor, a glimpse of his action hero of Independence Day, and a taste of Enemy of the State’s troubled paranoiac. Best of all there is absolutely nothing that echoes Wild Wild West.

Jason Bateman makes the best of a thankless role that could easily have been overpowered by Smith’s flashier part. Ditto Charlize Theron who takes the role of the love interest and makes it something memorable.

My major complaint is with director Berg. Buy a steady cam! Or at least a tripod! His love of wobbly cam work reaches new heights here. If you suffer from motion sickness I recommend popping a couple of Gravols before the screening.

The script, originally titled Tonight, He Comes, made the rounds in Hollywood for a decade before star Smith and director Berg came on board, bringing this strange and surprising story to the screen. An unusual mix of humor, romance and dark subject matter Hancock stands apart from other superhero movies by daring to be different.