It's hard to believe that he's been a massive movie star for about 20 years now. Although 1995's Bad Boys was a breakout hit, it was really 1996's Independence Day that turned him into a box office superstar. He actually hasn't had a larger domestic success since -- but for years he was as close to a sure thing as there was at the movies.
In fact, you can make the case that he supplanted Tom Hanks as America's favorite inoffensive movie star. At first, his big screen persona was essentially an extension of his role as The Fresh Prince. He was cocky, funny, brash and playful -- and it served him well in big hits like Men In Black and Enemy of the State.
He tried to be taken more seriously as an actor with 2001's Ali. A noble failure in which Smith delivered a very good impersonation of the champ but didn't convey a lot of his depth. For me, that has been Smith's principle problem as a dramatic actor, and it's not entirely his fault.
He is such a distinct, recognizable movie star that he can't really burrow his way into a role and entirely disappear. So in movies like Concussion for instance, where he does a decent job of affecting a Nigerian accent to play a saintly forensic pathologist, the effort behind the performance is all too evident.
Meanwhile, he allowed his more patented star turns to become few and far between while he focused on nurturing the career of his kids, which clearly has rubbed a lot moviegoers the wrong way. He passed on a part that could have been a game changer for him, the lead in Django Unchained, instead appearing in another forgettable Men In Black sequel.
His last great role, in my opinion, was 2007's I Am Legend, which allowed him to show some darker shadings but was never less than a showcase for his charm and presence. The following year's Hancock was very flawed, but it too allowed a little grizzle to permeate his usually upbeat delivery.
Concussion is not a terrible movie, and it's very well-intentioned -- but it needed to be a lot more exciting to land. The filmmaking is largely uninspired, and while Smith is certainly engaged, he doesn't give you much of a reason to care about his hero other than he's right and the NFL is wrong.
At 47, he is still very young and has a lot of time for a course correction -- and I suspect his ensemble turn in next month's Suicide Squad will at the very least provide a boost to his commercial standing.
Still, he appears to be in the same position Tom Cruise was in following his couch jumping, Matt Lauer-debunking public meltdown. His off-screen behavior has started to affect audiences attitudes towards him. Whether it was warranted or not, Smith's decision to boycott last year's Oscars was considered ungracious by some, and tabloid gossip about his personal life has unfortunately generated more buzz than any of his recent movies.
Cruise has managed to regain his footing by returning to his roots with the Mission: Impossible franchise. But for Will Smith his pathway may not be as easy. He may have missed an opportunity by sitting out the new Independence Day reboot -- but if the film is as bad the reviews suggest, it may have been for the best. I don't really see how the Men In Black and Bad Boys series have much gas left in the tank either.
What he may need to do -- and this may sound nuts -- is to follow Keanu Reeves' lead. Although it was only a small hit -- his John Wick singlehandedly re-established him as an action star and reminded audiences who liked him why they did in the first place. If Smith headlined a similarly taut, accessible action thriller, it might prove too irresistible for moviegoers who grew up with his mid-90s antics.
Then again, some audiences may have grown to old to want to "get jiggy with it."
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