Summer movies are supposed to be fun. They're big romps of predictable entertainment based on formulae tried and true.

In some ways, Hancock is pretty standard summer fare. It's an action flick, probably fairly high budget, and it has its share of scenes meant more to shock an audience than to develop a character.

On the other hand, this movie approaches the superhero genre from a different point of view than most. What if, by chance, our hero was actually an asshole?

This is the essence of Hancock. How can a PR man help to redeem a superhero the whole world believes is an asshole?

Now, you might not want to call the hard-drinking, bleary-eyed John Hancock by that epithet. He tends to react disproportionately. Nevertheless, he serves a world that hates him because he's a hero who often leaves more of a mess than he should.

For example, Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) gets stuck on a train track. Hancock (Will Smith) flashes into the scene with a nanosecond left, flipping Embrey's car upside down on top of another car.

In this very scene, we get the essence of the nasty, ungrateful world Hancock faces. In other movies, the superhero would be lauded and applauded and cheered. He'd disappear, change out of his clothes and kiss the girl as the credits rolled. In this movie, everybody besides Embrey bitches and moans about the superhero's technique.

"Why'd ya have to flip the car upside down? Couldn't you have just picked it up?"

"Now, you've really caused a traffic jam, Hancock!"

Jason Bateman, who is making it a habit of playing good guys ("Juno," "Arrested Development"), steps from his vehicle to calm the masses, expressing his gratitude to Hancock. He says something to the effect of, "Whoa, folks. At least I'm alive. I for one am very grateful to Hancock!"

I should note: While Bateman is dressed like a PR hack (suit, tie, etc.), Smith is dressed like anything but a superhero. He actually looks a bit like Lenny Kravitz after a three-day bender, not that I've ever seen Kravitz after such an event (his nor mine).

To pay Hancock back, Embrey decides to develop a public relations plan to boost his name, to improve what people think about him. Embrey introduces his wife (Cherize Theron) to Hancock, and our superhero takes on the role of sort of a surrogate uncle to their kid.

Fun and hijinks ensue, and this movie has a hell of a twist. It was 85 minutes worth of fun, and I loved this movie from an entertainment perspective.

Critically, I had one major problem with the film: I would have loved more back story on how Hancock got to where he is, more than just the verbal explanation we got. In scenes where Hancock is saving people, I noticed that everybody knows this guy by name. Given that the movie was only an hour and a half long, I would have appreciated a bit more background on Hancock as a superhero.

Definitely loved the way this film had some dark tones, and I thought Bateman was excellent in his role. Will Smith is Will Smith, the black Tom Hanks. He's good but fairly generic, not a bad thing. It is what it is. Charlize Theron was good also, but I think most folks will walk away from this recognizing that Bateman is a rising star.

However, again, this was a fun 85 minutes, and I'd absolutely recommend it.