Hancock

A homeless superhero (Will Smith), out of pure surly carelessness, does more harm than good with his powers—until he saves the life of a struggling PR man (Jason Bateman), who (to the dismay of his wife, played by Charlize Theron) decides to repay the favor by sprucing up the hero’s public image. Vincent Ngo and Vince Gilligan’s script lapses briefly into cliché (with a now-obligatory battle-of-the-superpowers scene), but for the most part it’s fresh and unpredictable, keeping us guessing about where the story is headed (and for once, the preview trailer doesn’t give too much away). Peter Berg directs with his usual unstable energy, but at least the instability serves the material rather than fighting it. It’s a movie about (surprisingly) honor and redemption, with good acting by the three stars.