Will Smith's Hancock May Not Be Kid-Friendly

What does drunk super-hero Will Smith mean for Hollywood?

Oct 12, 2008

Riding in the wake of the super hero movie craze, Will Smith's character Hancock brings with it themes parents may want their children to avoid.

An alcoholic super-hero is nothing new. Avenger Tony Stark (Iron Man) is the most famous of cases, having battled alcoholism in the comics. But parents should be careful when child and teen favorite Will Smith shows up on screen as a drunk super-hero.

Parents know that children enjoy emulating what they see as fun or cool on television and in the movies. Proof of this is much more prevalent in younger children, but the ideas still simmer in the minds of teens, especially if they were introduced years ago. However, finding ways to address adult problems such as alcoholism in a way that young people can easily access (such as in a film starring a well-known actor like Will Smith), such ideas can come with a better understanding.

According to IMDB, Hancock received two "R" ratings from the Motional Pictures Association of America (MPAA) before submitting a version that could be given a "PG-13" rating, which would allow the film to market to the peak super-hero-drawing teen audience, and convince parents that younger kids might also enjoy the movie. Though Hancock has plenty of good times, parents may have been surprised by what they found.

This is what really needs to be looked at. While Hancock served as a tale of a man who starts out as a lazy, responsibility-ignoring slouch who willingly goes to jail for his crimes and becomes honorable in the end, barriers were still broken. Iron Man decided not to include Tony Stark's alcoholism in the film adaptation, but Hancock has already shown us a drunken super-hero who's not afraid to shove people's heads up other people's butts (yes, literally), so don't be surprised if Stark hits the bottle in future films.

Parents aren't rampaging through the streets burning pictures of Will Smith since the film, but they should take into account the facts that a super-hero film does not necessarily mean a film suitable for children and Hollywood is realizing that more adult themes means more money (Hancock grossed almost $228 mil. in the United States alone).

Hollywood is trying to cash in on super-hero and comic book popularity, but not all of the results will be pretty. Many comic book films, like Sin City and The Dark Knight (and even X2, which has Wolverine stabbing people in the chest and being shot in the head, something fans felt was missing from the first film), have plenty of violence that should probably be kept away from children. Hancock is a fun film, but parents should be careful in selecting which super-hero movies their children should watch.

The copyright of the article Will Smith's Hancock May Not Be Kid-Friendly in Action Films is owned by Robert Becka. Permission to republish Will Smith's Hancock May Not Be Kid-Friendly in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.