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(About Our Ads) "HANCOCK" (2008) (Will Smith, Jason Bateman) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Extreme Moderate Extreme *Moderate Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Heavy None Moderate *None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate None Moderate Moderate Heavy QUICK TAKE: Action/Comedy: A PR man tries to give a disheveled, bitter and heavy-drinking superhero a public image makeover. PLOT: John Hancock (WILL SMITH) is the resident superhero of the greater Los Angeles area, but public opinion of him is awful. While the end result of his actions might be favorable, his surly demeanor doing so and the fact that he generates so much collateral damage means few people want him around. That is, except for Ray Embrey (JASON BATEMAN), a public relations man whose life Hancock saves one day. Feeling the need to repay him in some way, Ray offers to help recreate the superhero's image in a more favorable light. Hancock isn't so sure, which also holds true for Ray's wife, Mary (CHARLIZE THERON), although their young son, Aaron (JAE HEAD), is still impressionable enough that he thinks Hancock is pretty cool. From that point on, the superhero reluctantly follows Ray's advice. Yet, an unexpected revelation and the efforts of captured bank robber turned vindictive prisoner Kenneth "Red" Parker, Jr. (EDDIE MARSAN) combine to threaten Ray's work to turn Hancock into a likeable and welcome hero. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of anyone in the cast or superhero movies, they just might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: WILL SMITH plays a disheveled and bitter superhero who begrudgingly rescues people and remedies situations, but causes equal or greater amounts of collateral damage while exacerbating his bad reputation in the process. He drinks a lot and uses profanity, some of it strong, but tries to change his ways under Ray's guidance. JASON BATEMAN plays a PR man who offers to help -- for free -- reshape Hancock's public image after the superhero saves his life. Always positive, he must contend with some unexpected developments in his personal life. He uses some profanity and drinks in one scene to the point of intoxication. CHARLIZE THERON plays his wife who thinks Hancock is a bad role model and thus doesn't want him around Aaron, but a secret she's harboring ultimately explains her attitude toward him. She uses some profanity. JAE HEAD plays their young son who thinks Hancock is cool. EDDIE MARSAN plays a bank robber who Hancock catches (severing the criminal's hand in the process) and then plots his revenge against the superhero. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this action/comedy hybrid that's rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 spoken "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Some non-explicit, sexually related dialogue is present, as is a brief and partial view of a man's bare butt, while some women are seen in revealing attire. Violence consists of standard issue, hard-hitting superhero physical contact (characters bashing others, etc.), while a great deal of gun-related mayhem is also present (including attempting to kill others). All sorts of property damage occurs, while a villain has both of his hands severed, albeit in a mostly non-graphic way and in different scenes. Some of that violence has bloody results and may be unsettling and/or suspenseful (along with some moments of potential peril) to younger viewers. All of the fighting, stunts and action might be enticing for some kids to imitate, while all sorts of bad attitudes are present (including from the film's "hero"). Various characters drink (several to the point of intoxication), some crude humor is present, and some tense family material occurs. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's briefly some of that from press/paparazzi taking photos of Hancock. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's all sorts of camera movement (sometimes very shaky/bouncy) throughout the movie, as well as several spin-around camera shots. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE We see empty whiskey bottles by Hancock who's asleep or passed out after drinking them. After getting up, he flies and drinks, and he's still holding the bottle when he sits in the back of an SUV that's involved in a freeway chase. A few miscellaneous people drink in a bar, as does Hancock who has whiskey from the bottle. When a woman complains that she smells liquor on Hancock's breath, he tartly replies, "I've been drinking, bitch." While having dinner with Ray and his family, Hancock pours whiskey from a bottle into a glass below the table, but then doesn't try hiding that glass. Moments later, he heads off to the bathroom carrying that whiskey bottle, with Mary commenting on that. Hancock grabs for a bottle of whiskey, but Ray says it's too early in the day and takes it away from him, with them briefly/slightly struggling over it. While surrendering to the police, Hancock reads a prepared statement where he says he'll go through alcohol and anger management programs. A miscellaneous woman comments on gangs and drug dealers running the city. Miscellaneous people drink in a restaurant where Ray, Mary and Hancock have wine on the table and Ray holds a drink. Mary jokingly tells her husband he's drunk, and we later see Hancock carrying an intoxicated Ray up to his bed. The next morning, Ray appears to have a hangover. Hancock goes into a liquor store, but doesn't complete his whiskey purchase due to a run-in with some robbers. BLOOD/GORE Hancock attempts to blow material from his nose by closing one nostril and blowing hard. Hancock asks where the bathroom is and heads there carrying a bottle of whiskey, but we don't hear or see anything related after that. A wounded cop has a little blood on her hand after being wounded in a gun battle, while Hancock carries out Red's severed hand after slicing it off (the act isn't seen). Various bitter inmates surround Hancock in prison and won't let him pass, despite him politely asking. Despite a threat of putting various heads up various "asses" (including his own), the inmates don't back down, so Hancock grabs one and gives him that treatment. We don't see the actual act, but do see the aftermath where one man's head is indeed up another man's bottom (still clothed, and we only see the shoulders right up to that man's bottom). Much later, Red asks the prisoner (who had the other prisoner's head up his bottom) how he feels, and the man replies, "Sore" (while the other prisoner wears a neck brace). Some blood is on Hancock's shirt and then his hand after he's been shot. We see a needle being inserted into Hancock's skin at the hospital. We see various old and large scars on various parts of Hancock's body while we hear of various attacks throughout the centuries on him and another superhero. A superhero's side is bloody after being shot there. We see some blood at the point of impact where a knife has been stabbed down into Hancock's back. Later, when he's shot, some flows from his mouth to the floor. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Hancock initially has a bad attitude about just about everything in his life, including his superhero abilities. Hancock reaches out at a young woman who passes by him in a short skirt, prompting her to react adversely to that. We see a police chase down an L.A. freeway, with those inside the fleeing SUV shooting machine guns at the police cars, hitting them and causing other bystander cars to crash. When Hancock ends up in the thugs' vehicle, one tells him, "Beat it, Soulja boy" and then he and at least one more shoot Hancock with machine guns (but he's unharmed). When various bystanders criticize Hancock for the way he handled (or mishandled) a situation, he snaps back at one, "You should sue McDonalds because they f*cked you up." When a woman complains that she smells liquor on Hancock's breath, he tartly replies, "I've been drinking, bitch." A young bully is belligerent toward Hancock who's finally had enough and blasts the boy out of sight up into the sky. After a few moments, he catches the bully who's then traumatized and runs off crying. When Ray shows Hancock various comic book covers to gauge his reaction to the sight of superheroes in tights, Hancock replies about the various images: "Homo," "Homo in red" and "Norwegian homo." Red and his minions have bad attitudes, first for attempting to rob a bank and taking hostages who they threaten to kill, and later for plotting revenge against Hancock and trying to kill him. Various bitter inmates surround Hancock in prison and won't let him pass, despite him politely asking. Mary tells Ray a white lie about damage that occurred to her house (so that she can continue to conceal a secret). We hear that Red has escaped from prison along with other prisoners. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" may be unsettling and/or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material, but probably few others. Ray finds himself stuck on train tracks in a traffic jam when a train is seen approaching. He tries pulling forward and backing up, but hits vehicles on both ends. He then can't get out of his car and all hope seems lost, but Hancock shows up and lifts and then flips his car backwards, with it landing on top of another car. He then stands in the tracks, with the locomotive coming to an immediate stop when it crashes into and partially bends around him. Some kids may worry when it appears that both Hancock and another superhero (now turned mortal) have died, but both eventually come back to life. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Machine guns/Missiles/Explosives/Knife: Carried and/or used to threaten or wound others and/or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "What the f*&#" (or some similar combination of subtitled symbols replacing the letters in the "f" word), "You should sue McDonalds because they f*cked you up," "I don't give a sh*t," "Ah sh*t," "Sh*t-hole," "Holy sh*t," "What the hell are you pr*cks looking at?" "Get out of my face," "Shoot this asshole," "Idiot," "I'll break my foot off in your ass, woman," "The Bono of PR," "Son of a bitch," "You're all idiots," "I've been drinking, bitch," "Shut up," "My bad," "My ass was hot," "You're an asshole," "Homo," "Homo in red," "Norwegian homo," "Bitch can try," "You sure you want to ride this train?" "He's hot," "Butt-ass naked," "Good job," "Get me the hell out of here," "You asshole," "Bastard," "Cuckoo" and "You gotta be kidding me." All of the stunts, fighting and other action might be enticing for some kids to imitate. Kids may be enticed to imitate Hancock's surly attitude and other behavior, including drinking a lot (particularly early in the film). Hancock slurps up some spaghetti while eating it. Various characters, mostly involving prisoners, have various styles and numbers of tattoos. After Hancock makes an impossibly long basketball shot, some prisoners collectively give him "the finger." Hancock shaves his face with his fingers (rather than a razor). To test if a woman truly is a superhero, Hancock takes a prong and presses it to her back, but the metal simply bends. He then cracks a rolling pin across her head, but it does her no harm. He then nearly hits her with two large frying pans, but then stops (all of this is played for comedy). JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A moderate amount of suspenseful and action-oriented music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None that we heard, but some songs had lyrics that we couldn't fully hear and/or understand, thus presenting the possibility of them potentially containing objectionable material. PROFANITY At least 2 "f" words (1 in subtitles, with symbols replacing most of the letters), 7 "s" words, 24 asses (15 used with "hole"), 3 slang terms using male genitals ("pr*ck"' and "piss pump"), 5 hells, 3 damns, 1 S.O.B., 2 uses of "Oh my God" and 1 use of "Swear to Christ." SEX/NUDITY Hancock reaches out at a young woman who passes by him in a short skirt, prompting her to react adversely to that. About a bully who's been tormenting Aaron, Hancock tells the boy he should hit the bully in his "piss pump" (penis) to the point that it can only be used as a dust flap for the bully's "butt crack." We see video footage of Hancock in a partially charred and torn outfit that shows part of his bare butt. We see video footage featuring some young women in bikinis (but they're not the focus of the shot). Mary shows varying amounts of cleavage in various tops, including some that are cut quite low and thus are fairly revealing. We see a shirtless male prisoner and then see a similar sight later in the film. A miscellaneous woman comments on Hancock being "hot." Mary and Ray kiss in bed, clothed, and she rolls over on top of him, but nothing else happens. Arriving to rescue a wounded female cop at a gun battle, Hancock asks if he has permission to touch her body, adding that it's not sexual. Her response is "Get me the hell out of here." We see some miscellaneous cleavage. Hancock carries an intoxicated Ray up to the latter's room. After Hancock removes his shoes, Ray drunkenly and jokingly tells him, "That's all you're getting off me." The next morning, we see him walking about in his boxers and a dress shirt while hung-over. Hancock and a female superhero nearly kiss. Ray asks a superhero about various famous people she met, but when JFK is brought up, she's mostly silent, although she then tells him it's "not like that" (meaning sexual). SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Ray mentions that his first wife died giving birth to Aaron. Hancock tells the story of his past, saying he woke up in a hospital with amnesia, and now wonders what sort of "bastard" child he was that no one came to claim him (but we later learn his recollection of this is not correct). SPOILER ALERT: Mary informs Ray that she's technically married to someone else, and has been for a very long time. She also talks about that other husband, their travails over the years, and why they can't be together. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Hancock using alcohol to mask his unhappiness. While surrendering to the police, Hancock reads a prepared statement where he says he'll go through alcohol and anger management programs. A superhero comments that those who were once called gods or angels are now referred to as superheroes. We hear that Hancock and another superhero are turning mortal due to their proximity to each other. Public relations. VIOLENCE We see a police chase down an L.A. freeway, with those inside the fleeing SUV shooting machine guns at the police cars, hitting them and causing other bystander cars to crash (all of this and what follows is played fairly lightly, including with the accompanying score). Hancock eventually ends up at the scene and flies through a large overhead sign, smashing it, with its pieces hitting various police cars below it, damaging them (with at least one exploding). He then flies over the SUV, rips off the roof, and sits in the back with his bottle of whiskey. The bad guys then riddle him with machine gun fire, but unlike his sunglasses and that whiskey bottle, he's unharmed. He then lifts them off the freeway, flying the vehicle through the sky, crashing into two buildings. He then drops the SUV, but catches it again before it hits the city below. This ends when he smashes it down onto a long spire atop a building. While flying and drinking, Hancock flies through and into various birds in his flight path. Ray finds himself stuck on train tracks in a traffic jam when a train is seen approaching. He tries pulling forward and backing up, but hits vehicles on both ends. He then can't get out of his car and all hope seems lost, but Hancock shows up and lifts and then flips his car backwards, with it landing on top of another car. He then stands in the tracks, with the locomotive coming to an immediate stop when it crashes into and partially bends around him. We then see the line of railroad cars behind it derailing and taking out some utility poles. Ray's car lands hard on the street after Hancock drops it (and him) off there. Hancock lands hard on a street, damaging it from the impact. A young bully is belligerent toward Hancock who's finally had enough and blasts the boy out of sight up into the sky. After a few moments, he catches the bully who's then traumatized and runs off crying. We see video footage of Hancock arriving on the scene to save a beached whale. He picks it up and heaves it far out into the ocean, but it accidentally lands on a sailboat in the distance. Various bitter inmates surround Hancock in prison and won't let him pass, despite him politely asking. Despite a threat of putting various heads up various "asses" (including his own), the inmates don't back down, so Hancock grabs one and gives him that treatment. We don't see the actual act, but do see the aftermath where one man's head is indeed up another man's bottom (still clothed, and we only see the shoulders right up to that man's bottom). That's all played for comedy. Hancock effortlessly tears off a door inside a prison, but Ray talks him down. We see police engaged in a gun battle with Red and other criminals who are holed up inside a bank, with plastic explosives around their hostages. One female cop has been hit and is hiding behind a car as the gunfire continues, riddling cars and the building. Hancock then arrives on the scene, calmly striding toward the chaos, and deflects a missile fired at him (it hits a vehicle and explodes). Another missile hits a different vehicle and explodes. Hancock then blasts through the bank windows to snatch Red's criminal associates (so fast it's just a blur), but Red then shows him he's holding a dead man's trigger detonator linked to the C4 on the hostages (meaning if he drops it, everyone dies). Hancock then calmly flattens a piece of metal that he apparently uses to sever that man's hand. We don't see the actual act, but briefly see Hancock carrying that severed hand (with the trigger still inside it). Hancock and a female superhero nearly kiss, but she then grabs and throws him through the wall, along with a fridge, also causing property damage outside the house. To test if a woman truly is a superhero, Hancock takes a prong and presses it to her back, but the metal simply bends. He then cracks a rolling pin across her head, but it does her no harm. He then nearly hits her with two large frying pans, but then stops (all of this is played for comedy). Hancock and another superhero fly in a chase, blasting through a hillside before both land hard on a city street, damaging the pavement as well as some cars. The other superhero then smashes a huge truck down onto Hancock, and while a tornado-spawning thunderstorm quickly forms and rages, the two battle in the city, causing all sorts of property damage to buildings and such. Hancock realizes some robbers are hiding beneath a counter in a liquor store. He smashes his hand through the counter wall, yanks one through that, and throws him back into a display case, breaking the glass door. The other holds his gun on the clerk, with Hancock saying he'll challenge that man's gun with a candy bar. The man shoots and Hancock flings the candy bar, blasting the guy back out through the store. However, Hancock then realizes he's been wounded by the two shots (some blood is on his shirt). Red and other prisoners fire various weapons at an already wounded Hancock, but hit and wound another superhero instead. Hancock then throws a hospital bed at some of them, knocking them down, and then throws one out the window (we don't see the impact below). He throws a chair at others, while a machine gun is fired at Hancock, and he beats up some of them, including throwing one to a wall. However, a large knife is stabbed down into Hancock' back, followed by a large canister repeatedly being bashed into him. Something explodes and a man then grabs Hancock and pins him back to a wall by his neck, but Hancock then grabs that man by his clothed crotch and heaves him out a window (we don't see the impact below). Red then shoots Hancock several times in the back and front, further wounding him, and is prepared to shoot him in the head, but Ray swings an ax that severs Red's hand, and then strikes him unconscious. During all of that, every time Hancock is hit and injured, another wounded superhero reacts as if feeling the same pain, and is thus weakened by all of that. Both superheroes then appear to have died, but eventually come back to life. A wounded Hancock jumps out a window and hits the street hard and bangs into some buses. Reviewed June 25, 2008 / Posted July 2, 2008