If cities drafted superheroes like athletes, Hancock would be a surefire first-rounder. He flies. He's impervious to bullets. Physically, Hancock's the biggest deal since Superman - superherodom's very own Michael Jordan. But here's the thing: Hancock pairs his altitude with attitude. Bad attitude.

For starters, he's got this thing for booze. He guzzles the stuff straight out of the bottle and never seems sober - a definite problem since he's the most fearsome entity this side of a hydrogen bomb. He doesn't just drive drunk, he flies drunk. And fights drunk. And smashes cars and trains and buildings drunk. He's guilty of multiple costly RUIs - Rescuing Under the Influence - and his surly behavior hasn't won him very many friends. Frankly, everybody in Los Angeles wishes he'd find another city to save.

Hancock seemingly has just two friends in the world: public relations guru Ray Embrey and Ray's little boy. After Hancock saves Ray's life (destroying several cars and an entire freight train in the process), Ray decides to help Hancock clean up his public image. He instructs the would-be superhero on some PR basics, such as: 1) When you land, don't crater the street. 2) Smile now and then. 3) Turn yourself in to authorities.

That last bit of advice is designed to help Hancock prove to folks that he's not beyond hope. Then, when crime rates inevitably climb after Hancock hits the big house, Ray reasons, the city will beg him to save it again. And Ray believes that's what Hancock needs more than anything - just a little love.

:: Review
Hancock, for all his faults, seems innately driven to help. Sure, he plows through the city like a nuclear wrecking ball, but if it wasn't for this instinct to save the innocent and apprehend criminals, Hancock would be living a boozy, mopey life of listlessness in his dilapidated trailer.

But Hancock, the flawed film, is much like Hancock, the flawed hero. There's some good stuff in there, but do you really want the guy hangin' with your kids?

"The ad campaign for this movie is much friendlier than the film," director Peter Berg told The New York Times. Filmgoers expecting to see a frenetic comic book romp, à la Spider-Man or Iron Man, will be surprised if not shocked by what plays out onscreen. According to the Times, the film received an R rating several times - unacceptable for the wide appeal Sony was shooting for with a Will Smith vehicle. Berg edited the thing down each time, gunning for that elusive PG-13, finally (barely) achieving it in this 90-minute incarnation.

You expect some violence and raucous action in a superhero film. You don't, however, necessarily count on the level of profanity, violence or weird spirituality offered by Hancock. There's a lot to chew on here: satire aimed at today's real-life "role models," ruminations on the nature of heroism, a poignant meditation on the longing to belong. But before they get to that stuff, families are going to feel like Hancock's hurled them headlong into the ocean.

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