A HANCOCK Intervention

On tonight's special episode of A&E's Intervention, we have a movie about raging alcoholic with confidence and uncontrolled destruction issues named HANCOCK.

H.A.N.C.O.C.K. (for those who've seen the show Intervention will get that.)

Oh yeah, and did we mention he also is a loner superhero with a chip on his shoulder. HANCOCK (played by the charming Will Smith) relies on drinking 40's of whatever liquor he can find to numb his pain. People of Los Angeles (called Angelinos...who knew?) nudge this reluctant saviour from his drunken stupor whenever there's "bad guys" around. Meanwhile, Hancock would rather be left alone in this lonely lonely world where he is the only one of his kind...hence the drinking to cope. And if it weren't for the "bad guys", the city would rather him leave to protect themselves from his destructive rampages.

There's a lot of fun in this part of the movie (about the first 40 minutes). We have a unique and likeable character unlike any other superhero we've seen before. He doesn't disguise who he is (wears ratty clothes), makes no compromises or excuses, and doesn't care what destruction he causes as long as he saves the innocent people. You either take him or leave him. He doesn't care. It's funny, fast-paced, and glowing of something special (probably a liquor buzz).

Then comes the intervention in the form of Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), a marketing entrepreneur trying to get his business off the ground. He takes Hancock under his wing to sanitize his image and to become more accessible to the public.

And thus Hancock is cured...and the movie turns into the sanitized superhero movie we've all become accustomed to. There are twists to keep the movie going and the action sequences are on par with SUPERMAN RETURNS or HULK. But the magic of HANCOCK disappears as soon as they pry the bottle out of his chaffed and soiled hands.

(Beware! Writer's Rant ahead!) If a new hero character is to survive in this Marvel and DC world, he or she needs to be completely one-of-a-kind. A drunk foul-mouthed wreckless superhero who doesn't like his job is such a character. Turning him into Superman in an X-Men suit is not. This movie would've been better if he tried out his new clean cut version, rejected it but still saved the day. He's the hero of anti-heroes. An imperfect being for an imperfect world (like HELLBOY). Instead, we get a superhero movie that may be forgotten in the summer of superhero movies.

HANCOCK isn't a bad movie. It's very entertaining and best viewed on a large screen to get the full effect. It's your typical summer fare that I enjoy this time of year: sit back, eat your popcorn, and get ready for take-off with not much thinking involved or consideration for plot holes. It's just in a summer when IRONMAN was released, HANCOCK pales in comparison.

7.8 Bottles of Hooch out of 10