comment #1

MAGGA says ...

What about Ali? It was a challenging role for him AND a box office bomb.

comment #2

DarthCorleone says ...

Yeah, I agree. ALI immediately came to mind. When that sentence began with "...has made exactly two "growth" movies...", I immediately assumed that would be one of them.

comment #3

nemo says ...

"... Will Smith is pretty much the only guy right now whose movies can't seem to fail, no matter how mediocre they may be."

And what is Adam Sandler? Chopped liver?

comment #4

D.Z. says ...

When Sandler can actually sell a Six Degrees-like movie, then he'll be able to compete on Smith's level.

comment #5

actionman says ...

He was INCREDIBLE in Ali, which is one of the most underrated movies of the decade.

comment #6

lazespud says ...

Seriously Jeff -- You need to either tell us you forgot about Ali, or explain your reasons why you didn't think it belongs in the company of Six Degrees and Happyness. I actually didn't like Ali all that much, but Smith was terrific and it was definitely a grown-up, mature piece of work.

comment #7

lazespud says ...

Just read about your dad Jeff. You've had a really tough year; we're all pulling for you.

comment #8

Aris P says ...

DZ - Sandler showed some decent chops in in Reign O'er Me. Punch Drunk Love, though offbeat, also comes to mind.

comment #9

/3rtfu11 says ...

"Where the Day Takes You" (1992)

I don't forget this movie. Everyone else does.

comment #10

Rothchild says ...

I've had very off-the-record conversations with people about Will Smith, and all I can say is this, the man works his motherfucking ass off. It's pretty fucking unbelievable. He deserves to be the biggest star in the world, which he is.

comment #11

gruver1 says ...

I forgot about Ali. Smith has done three growth movies, and I forgot about Ali. Why did I forget about Ali? Because it's the best Michael Mann movie that never really stirred me or lifted me high. Smith was superb in it. He built himself up, learned to dance, got the voice, did everything right. But unlike Lee's Malcolm X, which moved me and brought me to tears the first time, Ali had a curiously inert effect. Which isn't to put it down. But it does explain why, in the recesses of my mind, it didn't surface when I thought of Smith's growth moves. It was an error to omit it, but it's not and never has been a popper for me.

comment #12

Josh Massey says ...

If you've ever been in the same room as Smith, you immediately understand why he's the biggest star in the world. The dude is made of electricity.

I wish he would make better movies, but I can't think of a weak performance he's delivered (except in the first season of "Bel-Air," of course, when you can see him lip-synching the other actors' lines).

comment #13

Arizona Joe says ...

Will Smith was merely passable in Ali. It was a tall task measuring up to a human being who was arguably the most marvelous blend of charisma and athleticism the world has ever seen, and a lot of his real life was on film. Many of us remember Cassius Clay, not just the fighter, but the guy quoting poetry in Miami Beach, laughing with Howard Cosell, and speaking Arabic in praise of Elijah Muhammad, enjoying his grandma's carrot cake with a scoop of ice cream in Louisville.

Compared to the real thing, Smith's and Michael Mann's depiction was flat. It really lacked Ali's wonderful sense of humor, an essential part of his character: "You cut off that beard, 'cause I ain't fightin' no billy goat," Muhammad said to Wilt Chamberlain.

Hence, "Ali" was one of the most disappointing films I have ever seen. And I don't think it was Will Smith's fault. In a biopic, or a biography for that matter, the choice of incidents or scenes, and the degree of treatment they are given, really tells the tale. I don't think Michael Mann chose the right ones. He went with the obvious, when smaller grace notes would have been more revealing. In addition, Jon Voight as Cosell and Ron Silver as Angelo Dundee was terrible casting.

Michael Mann, renowned for violence and style, does not know jack shit about athletes. Pardon my pretentiousness, but I could have written a better screenplay.

People respond to Will Smith. And reports that he works very hard do not surprise me. He seems like a very good guy. However, as Will Smith has gotten older and heavier, he has lost some of his charisma. It's a credit to him that he still gets the box office he does. He cruises because it works for him.

I wish he would choose better projects, but what is there to choose from? I don't know if Will Smith or any actor has that much control over the quality of material from agents and studios. Most of it is crap. They can even turn Muhammad Ali into a journeyman.

comment #14

Mgmax says ...

"I don't know if Will Smith or any actor has that much control over the quality of material from agents and studios. Most of it is crap."

Well, I think Will Smith could get a studio to back him in the novels of Henry Green if he wanted to, so it's not a matter of control. I do think there's a subtler form of control sometimes where a star is told over and over that the world loves him doing X and he gets no support from his management and entourage for trying Y because that might upset the gravy train. Elvis Presley of course is the most extreme example of that, but I'm sure many stars have experienced it.