Actor Spotlight: Will Smith
Also, it's time to discuss the cringe-iest episode of The Office. You know the one.
Is there an actor or entertainer that was born to be a star more than Will Smith? When he burst onto the scene in the late 80s, first as a rapper and then on the beloved show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, it was immediately apparent this inherently likable, insanely charismatic kid was headed for super-duper stardom. Smith says that when he arrived in L.A. to start making movies, his (very modest) goal was “to be the biggest movie star in the world.” Within just a few years he would star in Bad Boys, Independence Day, and Men in Black. Well, mission accomplished.
This weekend you can see two Will Smiths on the big screen in the sci-fi action thriller Gemini Man, where Smith plays an assassin that is hunted by his younger self. To prepare you for another Will Smith vehicle, Do You Like Apples takes you back through a couple of the best Will Smith performances streaming now.
Billy recommends…
Men in Black (streaming on Netflix October 19th)
His run as the Fresh Prince has just ended so maybe after such a successful run you would lay low for a bit. Analyze where you want your career to go. Will Smith did not take my sage advice and provided us with one of the most fun movies of the 90s with Men in Black.
Memorable characters are the legacy of this movie. Some of which have strong emotional beats like Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones), but most of these characters don’t need that emotional connection. They are pure charisma and if not charismatic then incredibly brought to life with technology and makeup design. Will Smith leading the way in the charisma department and he rode that to a $589 million worldwide box office return on a $90 million dollar budget.
At this point I often describe the plot of the movie or a quick description of why I think an audience should watch this movie. At this point I figure the majority of our audience have seen this one, so instead, I want to point out how rare movies like Men in Black are in today’s movie culture. The middling budget action movie is almost extinct. $90 million dollars is pushing into a big budget movie, but the modern action movie would not use the budget wisely.
This may be an overgeneralization, but most of the budget would go to the visual artists who create the expansive world. Similar to what Men in Black did, but in a different way. Because of the limitations of visual effects we had to see the world through human characters and, my oh my, these are some great characters.
I would venture to guess that close to half the budget went to our three main stars of this movie. Tommy Lee Jones brings the emotional connection we need to the movie as a soon-to-be retired agent who is training our new agent, Will Smith, to be his replacement. Their relationship is beautiful and their pursuit of our villain, Vincent D’Onofrio’s bug alien creature who takes over a human. D’Onofrio brings one of my favorite villain performances with his wonderfully comedic performance and a hint of body horror like he was in a Cronenberg movie. All of them together and their constant peeling back layers to this world bring a brisk pace to this surprisingly short movie. I feel like I don’t need to because most people I know love this movie, but please give this one another look, AND if a middle budget action movie makes its way to theaters, please go pay to see it.
Drew recommends…
The Pursuit of Happyness (streaming on Netflix)
After over a decade playing charming heroes in wildly successful movies, Will Smith decided to reel it back a bit. The Pursuit of Happyness is not a movie where he delivers a quippy line or flashs that winning smile. It’s a true story of a down-on-his-luck man that is just trying to make it and provide for his son. Not exactly an Independence Day-type concept, but Smith’s presence alone boosted The Pursuit of Happyness to over $300 million worldwide, an incredible haul for a mid-budget drama.
Smith plays real-life Chris Gardner, a salesman who invested his life savings in bone density scanners that he couldn’t sell fast enough. Gardner ended up homeless with his son, but gets an unpaid internship with a brokerage firm that he strives to turn into a full-time job. This kind of story often threatens to lean too hard into weepy melodrama, but The Pursuit of Happyness manages to stay upright due to Smith’s gravitas. While Will carries almost the entire movie, Smith’s actual 8-year-old son Jaden turns in an endearing and impressive performance as Gardner’s son. You can tell he has some of his dad’s easy charm.
This is a very effective drama that is capable of bowling over even the most cynical among us. Specifically, I’m thinking of the scene in the bathroom where Smith really devastates us with the look (and tears) in his eyes, as well as the uplifting scenes near the end. You are rooting so hard for this guy to succeed that you can’t help but be 100% emotionally invested.
Will Smith was Oscar-nominated for this role, and you can see why this is one of only two roles that the Academy has recognized him for (the other one was for playing Muhammad Ali). He’s captivating but in a low-key way, stripped of all the usual hallmarks of a Will Smith performance. While he hasn’t gone back to this type of role very often, it’s worth seeing how one of the biggest stars in movie history can occasionally surprise us.
Streaming TV Corner
The Office Episode of the Week
Billy: “Scott’s Tots” (Season 6, Episode 12)
Alright, it is time. It is time to look back at the TV after shielding my eyes because of this all time awkward episode. Michael Scott hilariously promises to pay for a group of kids’ college tuition 10 years ago if they graduate high school and today is that fateful day. The day he is supposed to pay up. This is a truly great comedic episode of television, but I can hardly stand to watch it again. It’s great but cringe-inducing to the max.
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