ENTERTAINMENT

Screen | Will Smith needs a hit

Todd Hill
Reporter

There's a small, yet persistent, sub-category of film journalism dedicated to pondering why A-list actors sometimes stumble in their careers. Downward trajectories are detailed, and possible comeback strategies are debated.

A-list actresses seldom, if ever, receive this kind of attention, which is of course grossly unfair. Perhaps it's just assumed that once a female star reaches, say, the age of 44, she should make way for the next 24-year-old blonde to come through the gate.

Take, for instance, Uma Thurman. She's 44, and has been largely absent from the big screen for the past eight years. Her last big hits, the two "Kill Bill" movies, came out more than 10 years ago. She could've made a good fit opposite Will Smith, age 46, in that actor's new con-man thriller "Focus," in theaters this week.

Instead, the makers of that picture went with Margot Robbie, who's blond, gorgeous, and coincidentally, 24 years old. No wonder actresses such as Patricia Arquette, who spouted off about gender equality at Sunday's Oscars, are so incensed about sexism in Hollywood.

So let's perpetuate it just a little bit more. This isn't a column about Uma Thurman. If Quentin Tarantino ever gets around to making "Kill Bill Vol. III" (rumored, but I'll believe it when I see it), her comeback can be heralded then. This week, the subject is Will Smith.

The former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is one of the nicest guys in the business, and he's a genuine talent. He has always brought charisma to the screen. But his last hit movie was 2008's "Hancock." Since then he's given us "Seven Pounds," "Men in Black 3" and "After Earth," all bombs. What happened?

Just to put things in perspective, Smith had an amazing run of success, beginning with the 1996 blockbuster "Independence Day" and lasting clear through to "Hancock." Winning streaks like that, rare to begin with, never last forever.

"Focus" looks not so much like a return to form for Smith, but a new direction, and it looks good. The Hollywood Reporter called the movie an "ultra-slick, fantasy-inducing visit to an international wonder world of wealth and deception."

I don't know if that's enough to get me driving through the 67th snowstorm of this winter to catch "Focus" at the theater this weekend, but I'll be looking for it on home video in a few months.

During a recent press junket for "Focus," Smith addressed his efforts at career rehab, stating that he's given up on goal orientation and is focused now on path orientation, whatever that means. When you've earned enough money making movies for the next two generations of Smiths to remain financially secure until the end of their days, you can afford to talk like that, I guess.

But I wish Smith well in getting his bearings again. I'll be watching his progress, although the person who really needs to learn from others here is someone like Johnny Depp, a once-edgy movie star whose recent string of wretched motion pictures is the longest in memory.

The first step to recovery is recognizing you have a problem, and I'm not sure Depp is there yet. As for Will Smith, he's a quick study. He should be fine. And being a man in a man's business certainly helps.

The last word

I used to look forward to the Oscars. Now I'm just relieved when they're over.

The Internet, with its endless need to be fed, has been responsible for the creation of a months-long awards season monitored to the tiniest detail by an enormous corps of film writers and bloggers. Consequently, the Oscars have lost any possibility of surprise, devolving into what's little more than a coronation. I'm not crying over this.

I do remain perplexed by the degree to which people dissect the annual broadcast. People were complaining this week, for instance, that the photo used of the late actor Robin Williams for the Oscars memoriam segment was a poor choice. Maybe, I don't know, but why would anyone possibly care?

I have nothing more to say about this year's Oscars that merits what little space it would take up in this column, except this: It's now a new movie year, with a fresh slate of limitless possibilities. Here's to finding those movies that are right for you. Happy viewing!

thill3@nncogannett.com

419-563-9225

Twitter: @ToddHillMNJ