I am a huge Will Smith fan! HUUUGE!!! I have seen everything he's done. I have a growing collection of his movies, minus Six Degrees of Separation and Made In America! (Those are personal choices of mine...lol) Both times he was nominated for an Oscar...I watched with the same intensity of an ultimate sports fan watching the big championship game! Cheering at the screen, when his name was announced (as nominee), clapping/excited when I saw his performance (the film clip), completely silent at the height of the big moment (as the envelop was opened), and OUTRAGED/disappointed when all was lost (his name wasn't called)!
TWO TIMES this has happened to me! And both times, the first in 2001 (losing to Denzel Washington-Training Day), the second in 2007 (losing to Forest Whitaker-The Last King of Scotland), I've just sucked it up and said, like any dedicated sports fan, "we'll get'em next time." But then it dawned on me...what more does Will have to do in order to win?! Don't get me wrong, Denzel and Forest are fine actors...wait GREAT ACTORS, but the years they beat him out, I don't know if the were the "better men." I mean in 2001, Training Day vs. Ali...ALI?!! In 2007, The Last King of Scotland vs. The Pursuit of Happyness? Now the Academy spoke loud and clear, but I just can't figure out what else they are looking for. (THAT TOPIC FOR ANOTHER TIME.)
THE GAME PLAN:
It's time for Will Smith to play a different kind of role, something his never done before. Maybe a bad guy, but if he goes that route, the character should be one ruthless s.o.b!
THE KEY:
He to America, to the world, has a clean image...almost too clean though! The kind of image that eventhough he does a great job in his performances, because of his charm and wit, we can't help but see WILL SMITH in all his characters! The key to that Oscar is for you/me/us as the viewer to "lose" just for a second who the actor is on screen and only see the character. (best example Jamie Foxx-Ray)
The reason we were nominated twice, is because we got close to this twice! The Ali and Chris Gardener characters were almost big enough to overshadow the man they call BIG WILL! I think he is close or is getting closer to acheiving this but only time will tell. I like the direction he was going in Seven Pounds, yet after I saw the film, I didn't see Oscar. But it's coming...oh yeah, it's coming!
What do you think? What will it take?
