My favorite was "Enemy of the State", but that may have more to do with Gene Hackman being in the movie than Will Smith's talents. Still, he was fine in that.
"Seven Pounds" is a close 2nd, then "I, Robot" (which I was pleasantly surprised by), and "I Am Legend".
Upon examining this list I've realized that Will Smith's never been in anything that's "great." He's been in some good ones, sure, but most of his movies are either mediocre or downright awful.
True. How is he such a big star? I guess Men in Black and Independence Day were both pretty big hits when they came out. Sure have done a lot of work for him...
He's really charismatic, which helps carry mediocre, big-budget pictures like Hancock, Independence Day, I Am Legend, etc. to make sure they are profitable. He's appealing mostly to people who rarely see movies and want the comfort of something familiar and reliable when they bother to go at all (I think this is also a big reason fast food is successful despite its low quality: no matter where you are, you know what you're getting with a Big Mac). He has basically played himself in every movie except Ali. People don't want to see him act. They want to see him be himself. He definitely has appeal, but he isn't interested in making great movies or taking chances. My old screenwriting professor was hired to work on one of his projects and he told us that Will Smith has a set of musts (and must-nots) for his films in order to ensure box office success: a love story, some kind of supernatural element, etc. There's only so far to fall when you insist on those elements.
I guess that makes sense. And you're right he's been essentially the same character in almost every movie he's ever been in, even Aladdin, except for Ali and I would add Concussion. He was also a little less cocky in Pursuit of Happyness but still similar character archetype.
I think he turned in a really good performance as Richard Williams in King Richard. It helps that he's able to be so mannered, which can be a kind of crutch (e.g. Theron in Monster) but it's still really good.
In fact, the movie is a really well put together piece of straightforward, well-intentioned hagiography. I suspect the story is a lot more nuanced but that's what you get with this type of film. I think the filmmaking's pretty top-notch, though.
Anyone else see Gemini Man and find it implausible, given that Smith has not really aged at all in the past 25 years, that the two characters portrayed by him didn't immediately recognize one another as differently-aged versions of themselves? I literally laughed out loud in the theater when the young one said he couldn't believe he was going to look like the old one in 25 years - he looks the same! They should have cast someone else who hadn't aged as well if they wanted to include that line. Maybe Sylvester Stallone. Or Renee Zellweger.
You could tell the filmmakers (director/screenwriter) were trying to do something good but the story wasn't told properly.
"Seven Pounds" is a close 2nd, then "I, Robot" (which I was pleasantly surprised by), and "I Am Legend".
In fact, the movie is a really well put together piece of straightforward, well-intentioned hagiography. I suspect the story is a lot more nuanced but that's what you get with this type of film. I think the filmmaking's pretty top-notch, though.