Well, looks like Will Smith is back on the big screen with another movie that had high expectations but fell short of them. Most of the blame for this one falls on the pacing of the film. For the first hour or so, the film seems utterly cluttered as it constantly shifts the story around. The audience is dragged around to a point where I felt that the focus of the film was completely lost. The odd thing is the film could easily find a focal point in the NFL story, but maybe there was too much backlash from the organization.
The really crappy part of the film is that Will Smith is actually quite good in the film. At first I thought that his Nigerian accent would get in the way of the film's progression, but it actually felt authentic to the point that I almost forgot that I was watching Will Smith. Yet, he was wasted since the film got muddled down in its lack of focus. While Smith was great, I still would have liked to see someone who could better fit the role. That's great that the casting crew got a big name actor and all, but come on. Let's start getting some fresh talent on the big screen!
My last critique is that the film felt quite safe. Sure it jabbed a bit at the NFL, but it could have gone so much further into the story. This probably contributed to the overall clutter of the film that fell short of my expectations. One memorable line uttered from Smith's character is "Tell the truth." Funny how this film managed to tell the truth and yet refuse to uncover the full story. Its as though the studio valued its relationships more than its morals. Oh well, guess that's just Hollywood.
The Bottom Line: Here's another film that had potential, but fell apart because of its lack of authenticity.
Score: 5.5/10
The really crappy part of the film is that Will Smith is actually quite good in the film. At first I thought that his Nigerian accent would get in the way of the film's progression, but it actually felt authentic to the point that I almost forgot that I was watching Will Smith. Yet, he was wasted since the film got muddled down in its lack of focus. While Smith was great, I still would have liked to see someone who could better fit the role. That's great that the casting crew got a big name actor and all, but come on. Let's start getting some fresh talent on the big screen!
My last critique is that the film felt quite safe. Sure it jabbed a bit at the NFL, but it could have gone so much further into the story. This probably contributed to the overall clutter of the film that fell short of my expectations. One memorable line uttered from Smith's character is "Tell the truth." Funny how this film managed to tell the truth and yet refuse to uncover the full story. Its as though the studio valued its relationships more than its morals. Oh well, guess that's just Hollywood.
The Bottom Line: Here's another film that had potential, but fell apart because of its lack of authenticity.
Score: 5.5/10
