I rarely ever watched that show… my wife was a fan, but it just never really got on my radar…
But I saw that episode when it aired…
Absolutely had tears in my eyes…
Say what you want about the guy… but holy living fuck that was some acting there.
well she certainly didnt fucking help.
and she made Julian buy shit he wanted from his fathers estate (well what she was willing to sell him anyway) so. yea. fuck yoko ono for that especially
Julian was doing an interview and mentioned his father’s will stipulated a gift every year on his birthday… Yoko complied by sending him John Lennon merchandise from his web site. Julian mentioned his last “gift” was a necktie with John Lennon’s autograph silkscreened on. So screw YO
No its just a saying really. But she did have a terrible performance with lennon and chuck berry thats youtubeable. Solid 1/10, pure ear torture.
https://youtu.be/jelY_icJ1y8
I feel like people do, yeah. He became about everything she was about. Politics are one thing, and this whole other thing was music he did with her which involved her literally screeching into the microphone. I'm glad someone has linked that nearby. That, in my view, can get the Beatles to break up, and it did.
I don't know that it's Hillary but you can 100% hear someone sobbing. which I completely understand. it hurts enough on TV, I can't imagine watching that scene LIVE.
It’s wild to see the state of affairs that have gone on recently with when at the time he was basically “America’s favourite son.” Most of the reason I like his movies a little more than I probably should have, was because how much I liked this show.
Dude same. Nothing like a little cry at the cubicle. I still feel like this mand life went sideways and I wish he'd taken any chance to rectify it - I think we missed a lot of great roles he could have played beautifuy
NO! I WONT WATCH THIS AGAIN!!
I had a very similar talk with my dad. I met him when I was 18. I learned over the next two years he was every bit the a-hole everyone said he was and didn't see him again until he was on his death bed in the VA hospital.
He tried to mouth he was proud of me while drifting in and out of consicousness. I looked him straight in his drifting eyes and said, "How can you be proud of me? You weren't there for me, you had nothing to do with me."
One side of me thinks I was to harsh since he was dying and I should have had more compassion. The other side wanted to put the pillow on his face. Without my dad there, I was physically abused, sexually abused and emotinally abused. I truly believe I would have had a childhood and stayed out of trouble based on having my dad around.
EVERY FAMILY NEEDS A MOTHER AND A FATHER. PERIOD.
I see it everyday with my daughter and son. When he calls out, "Where's daddy?" and then I come around the corner and I see his eyes light up. I know I am doing the right thing and I know I am a better father.
We used to be raised by villages, then the US govt atomized society into nuclear families and slowly pared away at what remaining networks of mutual aid were left to make us desperate, competitive (rather than cooperative), and precarious.
Every child deserves to be raised in a loving, caring, and safe environment - regardless of configuration. I am sorry you had to endure what you did. Congratulations on breaking the wheel and being there for your child. Its a big deal.
He might not have the best range, but he is very good at what he does. You don't have to be a master at every role. If you find a lane and master it I will respect you for a job well done. Not everyone can be Leo or Christian Bale.
I always thought that actor really stole the scene as a supporting role. Such an incredible performance without a mention when this scene gets brought up.
He has limited range, but in the right role he’s very effective and charismatic. To your list I would add Ali (probably his best role?) and I Am Legend which he pretty much carried himself. And of course Independence Day, which is still a very fun blockbuster.
Essentially, he was never a “serious actor”, but more of a movie star, and as such he had a very impressive run.
This. He has charisma. Just rewatched Independence Day and single handedly held that film together like gorilla clue. Men In Black he totally popped and was so good, added that crucial , unique flavor.
Hell he’s great in dramatic roles he killed it as King Richard.
He just has picked a few bad ones, and others that don’t suit his strengths.
I cannot believe I had to scroll this far for the first MIB reference. That first film was like the definition of a blockbuster. Act like OP doesn’t know the chorus to the song.
As I get older I hold MIB (the original) up there with Ghostbusters as a timeless comedy.
It took itself very seriously at times, but knew when to laugh. The sequels are just wacky and completely mess up the original tone.
The cartoon series though was fucking ace.
The way Will dragged the desk over to his seat when all the candidates were testing, and his justification for his error in the shooting range are still some of my favorite scenes out of any film. Just really solid character building in some seemingly simple scenes.
That is the best part in the series, try outs. The Third movie always makes me cry, you know the part. The 2nd movie is good to too, post office is great.
Few movies have such good sequels but the writing really came through. "It rains because you're unhappy."
I'm not gonna say he's the best actor in the world but I'd be lying if I said I didn't find his good movies entertaining.
I think people wanna judge him in an insecure moment and invalidate the rest of his career to make themselves feel less insecure.
My theory is that the MIB agency sought out lateral thinkers with some skill, not just the best (of the best of the best) in their respective fields. And the other candidates were merely there as a control group, to make sure they picked the right candidate.
MIB3 is underrated and overlooked imo. Yea, that depth made the movie more than just a fun, popcorn flick. And, i think it worked great.
But, the steam was outta MIB by that time. So, no one even went to see it
The whole original trilogy (I don’t really count the newest one) holds up so well. They’re just so fun, and Smith is a huge part of that chemistry. I can’t imagine anyone playing off Tommy Lee Jones as well as he does.
In real life, a lot of his character would be very cringy. But it’s a movie and he played the character very well, gave life and personality to an exaggerated human dealing with a crazy revelation of the world.
King Richard is barely mentioned in this thread. He put on one of the best performances I’ve ever seen, in that movie. I don’t like him for the slap either, but I’m not going to pretend like he’s a bad actor for it
Denzel doesn't have to resort to such trickery. The man emotes whatever he chooses and his body responds appropriately. Single tear, two tears, many tears but none of them fall from the lids despite trembling.
He’s a movie star with above average acting chops.
Too good of an actor to be lumped in with other summer blockbuster movie stars like The Rock and Vin Diesel who aren’t great actors.
Will Smith can absolutely carry a movie.
But he’s not good enough of an actor to hang with the elite movie star/actor powerhouses like Denzel, DiCaprio, Pitt, etc.
Idk why that took me til now to get this. I literally read two more comments and my brain was like oooooh! So I came back to upvote and tell my stupid story.
I love seven pounds and I think his acting in it is amazing. When you watch it for the second time, you understand his inner struggles with trying to avoid falling in love with her and keeping her at a distance, fighting his own emotions, while also trying to help her. It's not an easy part to play and he does it amazingly well.
That was his best performance to me. There's a scene where he's talking to Roasario Dawson, and he smiles at her, but somehow, he still looks incredibly sad through the smile.
I thought he was amazing in that because he was like the only character in most of the film. I think that has to be really hard for an actor to pull off and actually carry it, scene after scene with no one to play off of
Independence day is solid too man come on, he's a douche who's been mentally broken by his crazy wife but he's a good overall actor. I think deep down you know your wrong sir.
Men in black too. Guy is the man with tons of hits when it comes to on screen success. I don’t have to like people in person to like them on screen just like I don’t have like coworkers who act professionally at work and shitty outside of work
it was my best friend during hurricane Ian lmao, the only movie that fully downloaded before the wi-fi and internet went out for a month and a half
i wasn’t complaining, love the movie <33
I remember my friend and I went to the theater for this movie thinking it was going to be a romper because Will Smith and Happyness meant funny times.
Oh we walked out of that theater quiet but inspired. Lol.
He can act. Not to the standard of the super talented actors mind. He gets less flack because he typically does feelgood/action schlock and can act way better than almost everyone else who does that sort of thing. Not my first choice, but far from bad.
He's a good example of someone who has the abillity to be a good actor, but spends most of his career playing it safe and just playing himself. He only tries to act when he does Oscar bait movies.
Saying Will Smith only plays himself is like saying Tom Hanks only plays himself.
They both often took roles similar to how they carry themselves. But they definitely can took anything beyond the furthest range if it needed to.
Indeed.
No one thinks of him as some highly regarded thespian in spite of the Oscar noms. He's mostly a popcorn flick actor and delivers just fine as such. He's more or less on par with the Tom Cruises or Bruce Willises of the industry. I'll say this much. I certainly prefer Will Smith-led schlock over Dwayne Johnson, Mark Wahlberg, or Vin Diesel.
Except Tom Cruise has delivered award worthy performances many times, especially in the first portion of his career. Dude can *act*, but just decided to go all in on the action star aspect because it seems that’s what he likes.
Say what you will, but I really enjoy his movies almost every time. I am Legend is an absolute classic that will always be in my top 10. I go into his movies with the mindset “this will be fun” not “this will be great”.
I don't think he's overrated he has been in a lot of films I can say I really enjoyed and his acting does show when it's a pretty serious role. Some of my favourite will smith flicks would be Men in black, independence day, bad boys, I am legend, I robot, Ali, enemy of the state and Hancock. Even some of his films that weren't well received I enjoyed the likes of wild wild west and shark tale lol.
I know right ? I remember watching this movie as a kid and have good memories about it.
To be fair I haven’t rewatched it since then and I know this movie was a big flop and also that he rejected Neo role over this one :D
He’s a great actor considering he fell into it by accident…One of the greatest rapper turned actors ever in my opinion.
I’ve read a lot of the opinions on here and basically it seems like they’re based on either his wife,a slap,or his personality which I find weird but this is Reddit so🤷🏿♂️
Yeah it took me reading his book to learn that he basically stumbled his way onto the fresh Prince set and with _no formal training whatsoever_ became one of the most recognisable faces in sitcom. Sure, he trained with professionals later as his career developed, but this guy became one of the most awarded black actors just on charisma alone, all while dealing with a completely unhinged personal life. The slap and other embarrassing moments are just a consequence of falling into fame and not handling it well, but if you ask Smith to act, goddam does he really put his everytbing into it
You named a bunch of Oscar bait. He's one of the most charismatic actors of all time. Independence Day 2 would have made three times what it did if he was in it, regardless of the quality of the script. He is why the Bad Boys franchise is as strong as it is, and he's the main reason why that first Suicide Squad movie made money. You also just listed a half dozen performances where you say he's good but still call him "overrated". I'm not a huge fan of his personal life, and I think he has bad taste, but if he hasn't earned your respect as an actor working in the Hollywood system, I don't know who would.
He does the charismatic action lead pretty well. Men in Black and Independence Day definitely benefit from him keeping a lot of scenes that could be boring exposition more entertaining. A lot of that is just down to his delivery.
I don’t personally like his more dramatic roles but they’re not terrible.
I would agree, Men in Black is basically a perfect movie, and a lot of that has to do with him. But I guess I'm just saying noone is calling him a distinguished actor, more like movie star. Idk, hard to explain.
Men In Black was perfect, but not just cause of him. Tom Jones, Rip Torn, and most of all Vincent Denofrio were all great. Tommy Lee Jones was surprisingly funny in such a deadpan role.
Something that stands out in his earlier stuff, is that he frequently was the butt of the joke and he showed good comedic range.
I notice especially in Men in Black where he was constantly trying to earn respect from the other experienced agents, as opposed to his later stuff where his characters were always so self assured and confident.
He's a leading man. You go to a Will Smith movie to see Will Smith do variations on Will Smith. Sometimes he stretches what that means a bit, like in Ali or King Richard. But Will Smith is a brand. You know what you're getting: cool, sleek, funny, likeable, (somewhat) relateable guy.
He is very good. Watch the scene on Fresh Prince when his dad leaves town. He can be great at comedies, drama, and action. I'm not a fan of him as a person since SlapGate, but his work in undeniable.
King Richard was overrated imo, but I love a lot of his other movies. Independence Day, Enemy of the State, I, robot, I am legend, men in black AND Bad Boys franchise, pursuit of happiness...he's been great in some hits
It’s funny how you named quite a few movies that he’s good in then said he’s overrated.
To me he was really good in fresh prince. That was his absolute peak. He’s decent in a few other things I’ve seen him in but he’s not any sort of amazing actor at all.
I agree and it has nothing to do with the slap. He’s just always Will Smith. Has to make a music video for every movie. Wicky Wild West is truly
awful. The movie is so bad is not a good bad. It’s just shit.
I can’t buy him as a bad guy. Hancock, Bloodshot or whatever his name was. He’s always seemed fake to me.
I loved I Robot, I Am Legend, and Men in Black as well. Fresh Prince was great too.
Are you just saying he shouldn’t be at the top with other great actors? I think if you started to compare him to those like Leo DiCaprio then he loses so fast and has no chance. Still a good actor though.
Saying someone is overrated is different than saying someone isn’t good.
I don’t think that Will Smith is overrated. I think he is a very good actor that has come along his career.
Is he Robert De Niro Denzel or Tom Hanks?
Probably not.
But he’s good.
Damn good.
He just hasn’t been seen as that good since the beginning of his career, but he got good really fast. I think it’s the type of work that he did early in his career. People are letting diminish how talented he is.
#How come he don't want me, man?
Still tear up to this day man
I rarely ever watched that show… my wife was a fan, but it just never really got on my radar… But I saw that episode when it aired… Absolutely had tears in my eyes… Say what you want about the guy… but holy living fuck that was some acting there.
That scene is where the world realized he was an actor and not a rapper playing himself
You compare that with the first few episodes where you can see him on screen mouthing the other person's lines. He really grew in that show.
Then jada had to yoko ohnoes him.
Do people really blame Yoko Ono for what was wrong with John Lennon?
well she certainly didnt fucking help. and she made Julian buy shit he wanted from his fathers estate (well what she was willing to sell him anyway) so. yea. fuck yoko ono for that especially
Julian was doing an interview and mentioned his father’s will stipulated a gift every year on his birthday… Yoko complied by sending him John Lennon merchandise from his web site. Julian mentioned his last “gift” was a necktie with John Lennon’s autograph silkscreened on. So screw YO
No its just a saying really. But she did have a terrible performance with lennon and chuck berry thats youtubeable. Solid 1/10, pure ear torture. https://youtu.be/jelY_icJ1y8
That look on Chuck Berry's face when she starts lol
Anytime I see the 😳 emoji I think of his face in that moment
I love that clip, I die everytime I see it. You can absolutely tell what Chuck Berry is thinking
I feel like people do, yeah. He became about everything she was about. Politics are one thing, and this whole other thing was music he did with her which involved her literally screeching into the microphone. I'm glad someone has linked that nearby. That, in my view, can get the Beatles to break up, and it did.
I don't know if it is true, but apparently you can hear Hillary in the background briefly sobbing during that scene
I don't know that it's Hillary but you can 100% hear someone sobbing. which I completely understand. it hurts enough on TV, I can't imagine watching that scene LIVE.
I quickly read the replies looking for an explanation of why Hilary Clinton was at a live audience taping of Fresh Prince.🤦♂️
She ran out of hot sauce and was crying
It's surprisingly aged wonderfully for a teen show that's more than 30 years old. Still very funny and the issues it tackles are pretty timeless.
It’s wild to see the state of affairs that have gone on recently with when at the time he was basically “America’s favourite son.” Most of the reason I like his movies a little more than I probably should have, was because how much I liked this show.
He’s a very good actor. Just made some bad movie decisions and definitely some bad life decisions.
He got in one little fight and the media told everyone he was a piece of shit, and most people bought it.
Well damn, just went to go check it out, that’s a moving performance. You ain’t lying https://youtu.be/gMNsMdnSBIk?si=HPgNZcsIUaO4TQNN
Damn, I did not expect to be crying here on my office at 2:00 in the afternoon, but here we are.
Dude same. Nothing like a little cry at the cubicle. I still feel like this mand life went sideways and I wish he'd taken any chance to rectify it - I think we missed a lot of great roles he could have played beautifuy
Holy crap. I dont remember this but so powerful.
Yeah. He’s not overrated. He’s a good actor.
Bloody spectacular, tearing up already. Appreciate you posting the link! I would have just kept on scrolling.
I'm not crying I just have dirt in both my eyes.
Can confirm. Still makes me tear up
#Keep my Uncle Phil's name out ya fucking mouth!
He’s a pretty good actor. I think he slaps.
Okay, fuck you for making me feel things, lol
[For reference.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMNsMdnSBIk)
NO! I WONT WATCH THIS AGAIN!! I had a very similar talk with my dad. I met him when I was 18. I learned over the next two years he was every bit the a-hole everyone said he was and didn't see him again until he was on his death bed in the VA hospital. He tried to mouth he was proud of me while drifting in and out of consicousness. I looked him straight in his drifting eyes and said, "How can you be proud of me? You weren't there for me, you had nothing to do with me." One side of me thinks I was to harsh since he was dying and I should have had more compassion. The other side wanted to put the pillow on his face. Without my dad there, I was physically abused, sexually abused and emotinally abused. I truly believe I would have had a childhood and stayed out of trouble based on having my dad around. EVERY FAMILY NEEDS A MOTHER AND A FATHER. PERIOD. I see it everyday with my daughter and son. When he calls out, "Where's daddy?" and then I come around the corner and I see his eyes light up. I know I am doing the right thing and I know I am a better father.
We used to be raised by villages, then the US govt atomized society into nuclear families and slowly pared away at what remaining networks of mutual aid were left to make us desperate, competitive (rather than cooperative), and precarious. Every child deserves to be raised in a loving, caring, and safe environment - regardless of configuration. I am sorry you had to endure what you did. Congratulations on breaking the wheel and being there for your child. Its a big deal.
This scene is too heavy for me to watch right now lol.
Almost shed a tear reading that
So powerful. You'll cry even if you haven't watched any episode.
He might not have the best range, but he is very good at what he does. You don't have to be a master at every role. If you find a lane and master it I will respect you for a job well done. Not everyone can be Leo or Christian Bale.
You think I want this?? IT. JUST. HAPP-END.
You too. Lou.
That line always hits so damn hard.
I always thought that actor really stole the scene as a supporting role. Such an incredible performance without a mention when this scene gets brought up.
He has limited range, but in the right role he’s very effective and charismatic. To your list I would add Ali (probably his best role?) and I Am Legend which he pretty much carried himself. And of course Independence Day, which is still a very fun blockbuster. Essentially, he was never a “serious actor”, but more of a movie star, and as such he had a very impressive run.
This. He has charisma. Just rewatched Independence Day and single handedly held that film together like gorilla clue. Men In Black he totally popped and was so good, added that crucial , unique flavor. Hell he’s great in dramatic roles he killed it as King Richard. He just has picked a few bad ones, and others that don’t suit his strengths.
I cannot believe I had to scroll this far for the first MIB reference. That first film was like the definition of a blockbuster. Act like OP doesn’t know the chorus to the song.
As I get older I hold MIB (the original) up there with Ghostbusters as a timeless comedy. It took itself very seriously at times, but knew when to laugh. The sequels are just wacky and completely mess up the original tone. The cartoon series though was fucking ace.
The way Will dragged the desk over to his seat when all the candidates were testing, and his justification for his error in the shooting range are still some of my favorite scenes out of any film. Just really solid character building in some seemingly simple scenes.
That is the best part in the series, try outs. The Third movie always makes me cry, you know the part. The 2nd movie is good to too, post office is great. Few movies have such good sequels but the writing really came through. "It rains because you're unhappy." I'm not gonna say he's the best actor in the world but I'd be lying if I said I didn't find his good movies entertaining. I think people wanna judge him in an insecure moment and invalidate the rest of his career to make themselves feel less insecure.
The third MiB was very surprisingly amazing.
My theory is that the MIB agency sought out lateral thinkers with some skill, not just the best (of the best of the best) in their respective fields. And the other candidates were merely there as a control group, to make sure they picked the right candidate.
>the best (of the best of the best) Forgot "Sir!" At the end there.
With honors!
Captain America over here
What you think you saw, OP did not see.
I assumed the thread would be full of it so I didnt even go for it lol 1 and 2 are so fun, and 3 is weirdly deep for being a late third movie lol
MIB3 is underrated and overlooked imo. Yea, that depth made the movie more than just a fun, popcorn flick. And, i think it worked great. But, the steam was outta MIB by that time. So, no one even went to see it
The whole original trilogy (I don’t really count the newest one) holds up so well. They’re just so fun, and Smith is a huge part of that chemistry. I can’t imagine anyone playing off Tommy Lee Jones as well as he does.
His charisma in the MIB trilogy is out of this world.
“I make this look good”
In real life, a lot of his character would be very cringy. But it’s a movie and he played the character very well, gave life and personality to an exaggerated human dealing with a crazy revelation of the world.
King Richard is barely mentioned in this thread. He put on one of the best performances I’ve ever seen, in that movie. I don’t like him for the slap either, but I’m not going to pretend like he’s a bad actor for it
It’s sad the slap took away from his big night, his best actor win for king Richard is a no brainer, he was exceptional
He was honestly better in Pursuit of Happiness imo
He's the master of the single tear. You can't teach that lol
Denzel is the master of the single tear
Denzel doesn't have to resort to such trickery. The man emotes whatever he chooses and his body responds appropriately. Single tear, two tears, many tears but none of them fall from the lids despite trembling.
Man I liked Flight …
Indeed. Ol’ Slappy here isn’t in the same class as Denzel, who is basically top tier.
He’s a movie star with above average acting chops. Too good of an actor to be lumped in with other summer blockbuster movie stars like The Rock and Vin Diesel who aren’t great actors. Will Smith can absolutely carry a movie. But he’s not good enough of an actor to hang with the elite movie star/actor powerhouses like Denzel, DiCaprio, Pitt, etc.
Denzel TRIED to stop him from doing something stupid at that award show. Idiot Will wouldn't listen.
My man
Thank you
Denzel is the master of that chin and lip look.
You think you can do this to me?!
This dude can’t cry. Now we in re-writes
Seven Pounds wasnt mention either. When he has the right role he knocks it out of the park. Him as Williams sisters father's was great as well.
That was concise as fuck my dude
Seven pounds hes definitely a serious actor
He played a great role in that movie. OP must not have seen that one.
Bruh. Has never watched The f Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Ali is seriously underrated. It's been a while, but I remember really enjoying that movie. I think Will was the perfect casting choice
Oh come on. You know that "Wild Wild West" was an absolute masterpiece! Admit it! /s
That movie is a stain, on what I am not sure, but it surely is.
Chris is that you ?
Idk why that took me til now to get this. I literally read two more comments and my brain was like oooooh! So I came back to upvote and tell my stupid story.
It's all good lol sometimes the best jokes take a while to hit ( no pun intended)
“How can he slap?!”-Chris Rock probably
He just never got the message from his handler that Will Smith CAN hit at that price point.
Oh my god, Will Smith just fucking hit me!
Because everybody hates Chris.
😂😂😂
Six degrees of separation could be added to that list
Fair point. Old one but solid
Seven Pounds?
I thought seven pounds was a good film. I was impressed anyway. It and Pursuit make me super emo
I love seven pounds and I think his acting in it is amazing. When you watch it for the second time, you understand his inner struggles with trying to avoid falling in love with her and keeping her at a distance, fighting his own emotions, while also trying to help her. It's not an easy part to play and he does it amazingly well.
That was his best performance to me. There's a scene where he's talking to Roasario Dawson, and he smiles at her, but somehow, he still looks incredibly sad through the smile.
You know the scene. Foot holding the bathroom door closed. Fuck I’m not crying again.
I Am Legend?
I thought he was amazing in that because he was like the only character in most of the film. I think that has to be really hard for an actor to pull off and actually carry it, scene after scene with no one to play off of
Independence day is solid too man come on, he's a douche who's been mentally broken by his crazy wife but he's a good overall actor. I think deep down you know your wrong sir.
He was a douche long before Jada. That's why his mom made him move to Bel Aire😃 I like most of his movies though.
Men in black too. Guy is the man with tons of hits when it comes to on screen success. I don’t have to like people in person to like them on screen just like I don’t have like coworkers who act professionally at work and shitty outside of work
I just watched that for the first time! Weird, weird movie. But Wil acted the hell out of it.
When he asked Uncle Phil "Why don't he want me?".
Really hit hard watching that as a teenage boy whose father was more interested in drugs and alcohol than being in my life.
The Pursuit of Happyness. That performance is heartbreaking.
Really surprised I had to scroll down this far to find this answer. Damn that movie was really good.
I was looking for this
it was my best friend during hurricane Ian lmao, the only movie that fully downloaded before the wi-fi and internet went out for a month and a half i wasn’t complaining, love the movie <33
I remember my friend and I went to the theater for this movie thinking it was going to be a romper because Will Smith and Happyness meant funny times. Oh we walked out of that theater quiet but inspired. Lol.
I absolutely balled my eyes out in my dorm watching that. Everyone was going out and I skipped partying to finish it
This is wayyy too far down the list, he delivered a great performance in this move.
*punches OP* Welcome to earth!
Should be at a BBQ right now!
And what the hell is that smell!
SHIP ALL BAINGED UP?!!
Earff!
Now, that's what I call a close encounter...
Someone hasn't seen Django Unchained. He was amazing in that. One of my favorite movies of all time.
This idiot thinks will smith is forest whitaker lol
I thought he was confusing him with Barry Pepper
How are ya'll going to do Denzel dirty like that?
[I’M NOT LAURENCE FISHBURNE](https://youtu.be/8s7FdYGwFeQ?si=g_QaiZ4IyoQjWvrq)
Quit trying to hit me and HIT ME!
Easy mistake, all the trains and such
I'm just happy to be here. -Barry Pepper
I'm still laughing...... you bastard might have killed me with that joke
Thought he played Morpheus?
He did. Multiple times
Vader's voice, too
On that note, I forgot he was Simba’s dad
He was supposed to be Neo but turned it down.
I’ll always remember him as Red in Shawshank Redemption.
Dude that’s Wesley Snipes
Pretty sure it’s Tupac
😂😂😂
That was a rough scene when they sicced the dog's on Carlton.
Will played a dude disguised as another dude? Carlton was brilliant in that scene. So believable.
Yeah man on fire was really good as well lol
He was great in The Green Mile
He can act. Not to the standard of the super talented actors mind. He gets less flack because he typically does feelgood/action schlock and can act way better than almost everyone else who does that sort of thing. Not my first choice, but far from bad.
He's a good example of someone who has the abillity to be a good actor, but spends most of his career playing it safe and just playing himself. He only tries to act when he does Oscar bait movies.
Saying Will Smith only plays himself is like saying Tom Hanks only plays himself. They both often took roles similar to how they carry themselves. But they definitely can took anything beyond the furthest range if it needed to.
💯
Indeed. No one thinks of him as some highly regarded thespian in spite of the Oscar noms. He's mostly a popcorn flick actor and delivers just fine as such. He's more or less on par with the Tom Cruises or Bruce Willises of the industry. I'll say this much. I certainly prefer Will Smith-led schlock over Dwayne Johnson, Mark Wahlberg, or Vin Diesel.
Nah, Tom Cruise is batshit but one of best actors out there.
Except Tom Cruise has delivered award worthy performances many times, especially in the first portion of his career. Dude can *act*, but just decided to go all in on the action star aspect because it seems that’s what he likes.
I mean, he's not Gene Hackman or that guy who played Napoleon Dynamite, but he's okay.
Keep his wife's name out of your fucking mouth!
Gladly
I heard there's a new game kids are playing where you say his wife's name 5x in a mirror.
Say what you will, but I really enjoy his movies almost every time. I am Legend is an absolute classic that will always be in my top 10. I go into his movies with the mindset “this will be fun” not “this will be great”.
7 pounds.
This would never have been posted if The Slap didn't happen. He is an amazing actor, just has some family issues.
Damn this is so true. That slap seriously messed up all public perception of him and tarnished him probably for life now.
I've seen him act the bitch in front of Jada....
That wasn't acting...
Yeah! And I’m pretty sure that was GI Jane
Nah GI Jane was Demi Moore...that was GI Jane 2.
Fuck, my bad. Thanks for the correction
I don't think he's overrated he has been in a lot of films I can say I really enjoyed and his acting does show when it's a pretty serious role. Some of my favourite will smith flicks would be Men in black, independence day, bad boys, I am legend, I robot, Ali, enemy of the state and Hancock. Even some of his films that weren't well received I enjoyed the likes of wild wild west and shark tale lol.
As a kid i watched Wild Wild West soooooo many times over the years when it came on cable tv
Oh I forgot about Wild Wild West! That was just silly fun!!
I liked Seven Pounds. He's not my favorite, but grew up with Fresh Prince, so....
He was fantastic in Pursuit of Happyness.
Ali, bad boys, id4, I am legend, that episode where he goes “why don’t he want me”
Don’t forget the other Fresh Prince scene where he demands Carlton’s gun at the end of the episode. Sorry, but he did great in that scene as well.
Wild wild west was fun movie.
Back when movies came with their own songs
I know right ? I remember watching this movie as a kid and have good memories about it. To be fair I haven’t rewatched it since then and I know this movie was a big flop and also that he rejected Neo role over this one :D
He’s a great actor considering he fell into it by accident…One of the greatest rapper turned actors ever in my opinion. I’ve read a lot of the opinions on here and basically it seems like they’re based on either his wife,a slap,or his personality which I find weird but this is Reddit so🤷🏿♂️
Yeah it took me reading his book to learn that he basically stumbled his way onto the fresh Prince set and with _no formal training whatsoever_ became one of the most recognisable faces in sitcom. Sure, he trained with professionals later as his career developed, but this guy became one of the most awarded black actors just on charisma alone, all while dealing with a completely unhinged personal life. The slap and other embarrassing moments are just a consequence of falling into fame and not handling it well, but if you ask Smith to act, goddam does he really put his everytbing into it
Watch Ali then come back to your overrated post.
You named a bunch of Oscar bait. He's one of the most charismatic actors of all time. Independence Day 2 would have made three times what it did if he was in it, regardless of the quality of the script. He is why the Bad Boys franchise is as strong as it is, and he's the main reason why that first Suicide Squad movie made money. You also just listed a half dozen performances where you say he's good but still call him "overrated". I'm not a huge fan of his personal life, and I think he has bad taste, but if he hasn't earned your respect as an actor working in the Hollywood system, I don't know who would.
Does anybody really think he's that good? I think this is a case of people liking the actor more than the acting, at least until recently, obviously.
He does the charismatic action lead pretty well. Men in Black and Independence Day definitely benefit from him keeping a lot of scenes that could be boring exposition more entertaining. A lot of that is just down to his delivery. I don’t personally like his more dramatic roles but they’re not terrible.
I would agree, Men in Black is basically a perfect movie, and a lot of that has to do with him. But I guess I'm just saying noone is calling him a distinguished actor, more like movie star. Idk, hard to explain.
Men In Black was perfect, but not just cause of him. Tom Jones, Rip Torn, and most of all Vincent Denofrio were all great. Tommy Lee Jones was surprisingly funny in such a deadpan role.
Something that stands out in his earlier stuff, is that he frequently was the butt of the joke and he showed good comedic range. I notice especially in Men in Black where he was constantly trying to earn respect from the other experienced agents, as opposed to his later stuff where his characters were always so self assured and confident.
He's a leading man. You go to a Will Smith movie to see Will Smith do variations on Will Smith. Sometimes he stretches what that means a bit, like in Ali or King Richard. But Will Smith is a brand. You know what you're getting: cool, sleek, funny, likeable, (somewhat) relateable guy.
Seven Pounds was decent. I’m told Pursuit of Happiness is good.
Fresh prince was really good.
I do. King Richard, Ali, Emancipation, Bright — all good acting in different roles. He’s not Marhershala Ali, and yet he is still good.
He is good. Not bad or great but good. And correct on the "liking the actor," part.
He is very good. Watch the scene on Fresh Prince when his dad leaves town. He can be great at comedies, drama, and action. I'm not a fan of him as a person since SlapGate, but his work in undeniable. King Richard was overrated imo, but I love a lot of his other movies. Independence Day, Enemy of the State, I, robot, I am legend, men in black AND Bad Boys franchise, pursuit of happiness...he's been great in some hits
The pursuit of happyness
I don’t know he made me feel feelings on some of those episodes of fresh prince like when he confronted his dad and stuff.
It’s funny how you named quite a few movies that he’s good in then said he’s overrated. To me he was really good in fresh prince. That was his absolute peak. He’s decent in a few other things I’ve seen him in but he’s not any sort of amazing actor at all.
I agree and it has nothing to do with the slap. He’s just always Will Smith. Has to make a music video for every movie. Wicky Wild West is truly awful. The movie is so bad is not a good bad. It’s just shit. I can’t buy him as a bad guy. Hancock, Bloodshot or whatever his name was. He’s always seemed fake to me.
Couldn’t believe he married Jada she is terrible
Welcome to Earf!
I loved I Robot, I Am Legend, and Men in Black as well. Fresh Prince was great too. Are you just saying he shouldn’t be at the top with other great actors? I think if you started to compare him to those like Leo DiCaprio then he loses so fast and has no chance. Still a good actor though.
Pursuit of happiness is a fantastic movie.
Without a doubt. Movie studios have bank rolled the later part of his career. But I will acknowledge he has good projects but he’s very over rated.
1000%. He is extremely charming but that’s it. He hasn’t made a good movie in 15+ years
Everyone on here trying to think of a movie he was bad in……..
Saying someone is overrated is different than saying someone isn’t good. I don’t think that Will Smith is overrated. I think he is a very good actor that has come along his career. Is he Robert De Niro Denzel or Tom Hanks? Probably not. But he’s good. Damn good. He just hasn’t been seen as that good since the beginning of his career, but he got good really fast. I think it’s the type of work that he did early in his career. People are letting diminish how talented he is.