Will Smith’s comeback has been a disaster – but does the punishment fit the crime?
Will Smith’s comeback has been a disaster – but does the punishment fit the crime?
The Fresh Prince wants the world to love him again, writes Fiona Sturges. But he’s going about it the wrong way, with the most tortured career resurrection in recent times
I used to really like him. He came across as really charismatic but after the slap and finding out that he was not in the Scientology box but had his head pressed right up against it, I figured screw this guy.
and being jada pinka "punching bag" too.
He’s a notorious prick. He deserves all the negative attention he gets. Him crashing out repeatedly recently has only solidified his publicly perceived image as an unstable, insecure, abusive, corny, try-hard, iamverybadass, cuckold that gives everyone the ick.
He should’ve quit while he was ahead before he made every movie role a version of himself and focused on building his childrens’ futures or doing something for the greater good with his fortune. But no, he can’t let anything go. He has to try and control everything. And the more that goes sideways the more unhinged he becomes. It would be sad if he wasn’t such a selfish ass.
thats kinda make since why alan tudyk was pissed that he wasnt the lead cast over will smith. will probably has in his contract that he needed a "better actor" than he is and makes them less than a shittier role so it make will feel superior. alan seems to have bad luck passed over for will smith, and resident alien getting cancelled.
No. He hasn't been punished enough. Dude needs to fade away.
jada pinka should clamped harder on her punishment.
Smith is an awesome ensemble actor. He has great chemistry with his co-stars in buddy movies, be it MIB, Bad Boys, Hitch or even Independence Day. As Fresh Prince, he had a whole cast to play off. But he can't carry a movie where he's the only star. It becomes evident that he doesn't have the range, and his attempts to act come across as forced. I think people already realised it and are avoiding such movies. The Bad Boys franchise proves that he's still a bankable co-star, and hopefully he'll accept that position in his future work, rather than soloing vanity movies.
Vanity movies, that's what those are. Thank you for that phrase, it all makes sense now
Uh he slapped a man for a joke about his wife that is (separately and unrelatedly) cucking him. And he raised Jaiden Smith. Nah, keep the punishment coming
people said as much, hes too much like the rock, wants to be center attention in the roles hes been. alan tudyk said as much.
His career was on the wane before he acted like an asshole at the Oscars. I loved him as a kid and still love some of his movies, but he was the upstart smartass. That doesn't work when you're 50+ and he doesn't have the range to be more than that.
I actually loved Seven Pounds
He lost any semblance of cool with Pinkett's affair and the slap. He is desperate to get it back but that's not really going to be possible. Had he not slapped Rock he might have been able to lean into being a more sentimental figure at this stage but that too has passed.
I don't know. She didn't really have any bearing on his decline before that point. I assume those that knew about their celebrity life and her affair did, but that wasn't most people.
It's hard to know if the slap was out of character as we don't know him. However it was out of character for his image. And image is your brand.
he kinda disappeared after mi3, and the other various movies hes been in.
He thinks he's still 20 years old in Miami in the 90s. He has no appreciation for the fact that he has changed and rap has changed. No one wants to hear a creepy old man singing about offering jetskis to get with girls at a club.
I think when he was rapping, it was always a watered down pop, gentle version anyway. That was fine, because it was fun. Music doesn't have to be meaningful. But as you say, there is no growth there.
He's tri d a few times to have growth in his acting, chasing the Oscar. However, his strength was the smart talking kid who thinks he knows better, but gets schooled by life only to learn a life lesson.
Fresh prince, MIB. They were awesome.
Ali, not so much.
There’s something ironic about him being able to act like a mature, stable adult on film back in the day but then doesn’t follow through to be genuine in the real day once he’s older
He's been crap for years. He should fuck off and live in obscurity on the undeserved fortune he's already accumulated.
and i thought that jada pinka smith and him was unjustified, maybe it was?
he's rich. he never has to worry about anything in his life. he doesn't "need" a comeback.
so he has to do is chill and enjoy life. and he's still not happy????
The real victim here is Jaden. Imagine your dad not handing you movie roles anymore because he fucked his own career. So unfair.
I loved the Left 4 Dead 2 mod that replaced the game graffiti with Jaden tweets
im guessing why jaden is going to different relationships, will cant be a good SO.
Didn't know about that. I actually try not to "meet my heroes." It's so depressing.
Just retire, Stale Prince.
Fuck Will Smith. Be forgotten, dickhead.
I believe in forgiveness, but what he needs to do is ask for it and he shows zero signs of understanding what he did wasn’t right.
Why?
The guys a multi millionaire ... it doesn't matter if he had a come back or not, he's still a millionaire.
You have to be a moron to want more than that.
He probably likes being famous.
Hes still famous. Hes just risking his legacy.
Fuck that guy. Don't come back, you hear?
Back up! Back up!
Mind ya business y'all. Just mind ya business.
I think I might be OOTL. Why does everyone here hate him? I know he slapped the comedian, but it didn't seem SO unprovoked, and AFAIK its the only thing. It's not great that he did that, but I wouldn't hang him for that
He's very dated and shows no self awareness about that. He was always bland, fun rap, which is fine, but it's not highly skilled. He also recently did a truly cringy music video where he's in his 50s and perving after 20 year old. He just don't seem to have moved forwards from the 90s
assaulting someone is provacation, and it makes look like a petty aggressive human.
Unprovoked‽ Bro, dude is a known less than PC comedian they brought to HOST the ceremony. Idc if he said he fucked will Smith's wife, that's part of the act! Would say it's unprovoked if some nobody walked on stage and slapped Jeff Acuri? Will Smith's has suffered less than zero consequences as proven by this vanity tour.
Asking he go to jail for a month or two isn't calling for him to be hanged. It's calling for actual consequences from someone who performed an entirely unprovoked act of violence. Anybody not famous would probably spend close to a year in jail if they did that to any performer.
He didn’t do anything wrong, at least not more so than you or me, he’s just not funny anymore. And his serious stuff was always very meh.
He didn’t keep up with the times.
He's a scientologist that made a scientology propaganda movie together with his son. Doesn't get more cringe than that.
Didn't he punch some guy in the face for making a joke? Pretty sure I've never done that...
I thought he slapped a man for making a joke? I can see why many folks would see little difference, I mean violence is violence, but if we're talking degrees Id rather get doses of slap then punch. Still unacceptable in the situation, however, and I believe what ever issue Will had that night skills have been handled in private.
All that being said, the man has aged and people move on.
He slapped someone for making a joke about his wife. Both were kinda out of line, so it balances out.
I don't really take anyone clutching their pearls over this seriously. They need to grow some balls.
Chris rock.
He made a joke about Jada’s Alocopeia (the hair condition thing, if I spelled that right.) and also some jokes about their open relationship.
So, most of us can understand the impulse, I imagine. And most of us have enough sense not to make fun of medical conditions on a stage that large. To their face.
Speak for yourself. He's done way more wrong than me
Do you think the shark gets tired of being jumped over?
Paywall
I don't care for the slap. Like, I really, really don't care.
I don't see his failed comeback as punishment, it's just evidence he can't make anything good anymore. He's not owed a comeback, and failing to comeback is not 'punishment'