A look at Oscar winner Will Smith’s best and worst movies

When you think of Hollywood megastars, it’s impossible not to think of Will Smith. Recently, the acclaimed actor/musician has left cine-goers stunned with his performance in King Richard. Smith plays coach-slash-father to tennis champs, Venus and Serena Williams, winning the Best Actor Academy Award for the same! However, his career has been chequered with several hits and misses. Here is a look at some of Smith’s best and worst films.

The Best

Ali (Google Play Movies)

Considered his best performance that earned him an Oscar nod, Ali tops this list of his best works. Smith plays boxing legend, Mohammad Ali, embodying his life flawlessly, and, dare we say, effortlessly. The film looks at Ali’s friendship with Malcolm X, his boxing ban, and famous fights. Smith nails the champion’s complexities and nuances, showing that he can “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”.

The Pursuit of Happyness (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video)

Talent runs in the family, and this film is proof of just that. Starring alongside his son Jaden Smith, this film features Will Smith as a down-on-his-luck businessman and father who ends up homeless. Will Smith performs with equal measures of empathy and gumption, getting another well-deserved Oscar nomination. This one’s a tear-jerker, so keep those tissues handy!

Men In Black (Amazon Prime Video, SonyLIV, Apple iTunes, YouTube, Google Play Movies)

From serious dramatic roles to out-and-out adventure rides, Smith can do it all. Playing an alien-hunting intelligence officer, Smith delivers a performance that gets audiences invested in the absurd. His impeccable comic timing perfectly complements Tommy Lee Jones’ dry wit to create an onscreen pair that’s still culturally relevant. A complete entertainer, Men in Black, adds another feather to Smith’s already full cap.

The Worst:

Wild Wild West (Hungama Play)

Even the mighty fumble and Will Smith is no exception. This film stars Smith and Kevin Kline, as secret agents assigned to protect President Ulysses Grant from the dangerous American West. Although promising on paper, the film is a messy affair with lazy writing and poor special effects. Skip this one if you please.

Seven Pounds (Netflix)

Although Smith has the star power to salvage many lacklustre films, there was little he could have done with Seven Pounds. Starring Smith as a man who causes a fatal car crash and donates his organs to seven people as atonement, this film borders on ridiculous. Self-important and unintentionally funny, this film is more sentimental than substantial.

After Earth (Amazon Prime Video, SonyLIV, Apple iTunes, YouTube, Google Play Movies)

Sadly, the Will-and-Jaden combo fails to hit the mark here. After Earth is set in a post-apocalyptic universe, on a new planet, where Will Smith heads a highly prominent family. The film follows his dynamic relationship with his son, who feels pressured to follow in his father’s footsteps. Dull and tedious, the film gets very little right.

Get yourself to a theatre to watch King Richard now!