Bad Boys 4: This awesome scene with Will Smith

SPOILER ALERT! This article shows plot elements of “Bad Guys Go or Die”, released in theaters on June 5, 2024.

At the climax of Bad Boys Ride or Die, the fourth installment in the action-comedy franchise starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, something surprising happens…

In the film, the two top cops in Miami, Mike Lowery (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) have become America’s most wanted men and therefore spend most of the feature film on the run.

However, Mike has panic attacks, an ongoing problem that gradually develops as he grieves over the loss of loved ones. So at one point Marcus starts hitting on her. Not once, but repeatedly, to encourage the partner to return to his “bad boy” state so that both of them can get out of the predicament.

It’s a conscious nod, but this time in reverse, to “Slap,” the infamous slap that Will Smith Presented to Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars in 2022. is this appropriate The question bothers everyone – especially in comedy. Or as Variety suggests, it may be the only option Will Smith To “rehabilitate” his image and regain the success he once had?

When the latter took the microphone to introduce the film to a packed house at the TCL Chinese Theater on May 30, that question must have been on his mind. until then, Will Smith, Martin LawrenceProducer Jerry Bruckheimer and co-directors Adil El Arbi and Bilal Falha arrived on the bus, rapping Fresh Prince for fans. In 2020, for Bad Boys for Life, they shut down the same street and the two stars of the saga arrived in a Porsche for a fast concert live.

however at the time Will Smith He had one of the strongest reputations in Hollywood. Since then, things have changed a lot. in January 2020, Bad boys 4 It began development to finally begin its pre-production in January 2023, after a controversial incident that confused many fans: at the time, no one knew whether the film would be released or not, especially considering the significant drop in popularity. One of his heroes.

But the movie is in theaters today… considering Slap! According to Variety’s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman, the scene will be “Like a kind of pop exorcismAs he writes in his review and will be there to punish”Smith, cruelly mocking his crime, and perhaps thereby allowing him to escape his picture.“

Will this be enough to restore the image and restore the reputation? During the first screenings, the audience laughed knowingly. However, other reviewers were less impressed. The Daily Beast called the joke “bad taste“, writes that “The wink turns out to be a reversal that heightens Smith’s Oscar meltdown.“Nothing is less certain.

Incredible expectations?

A few days before the Los Angeles premiere, a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) went viral, listing an “unrealistic” statistic. Will Smith At the box office, from $141 million for the original Bad Boys in 1995 to $1.5 billion for Aladdin in 2019. The post also notes that Smith is the only actor to have eight consecutive films gross more than $100 million at the domestic box office. – which is true, plus the equally impressive fact that he also has eight movies that hit #1 in a row as well.

despite Will Smith He apologized for the attack Chris Rock — first in a written statement the day after the Oscars and then in a video a few months later — and faced professional consequences for his actions, including his resignation from the Academy and being banned from the Academy Awards for the next decade. Bad boys 4 This is his first major test of public perception of the deceased actor.

Emancipation, a poignant saga of the plight of slaves by Antoine Fuqua Will Smith Starring, released in 2022 after hitting Apple TV+: so the box office wasn’t as important as the film’s awards prospects. Will Smith And the film, however, was ignored by the Academy Awards, although the comedian won the NAACP Image Award for Best Actor.

With many scenes Bad guys go or dieThis is the first time Will Smith In November 2022, after her tearful interview on the set of Trevor Noah’s Daily Show, she was back in the spotlight, speaking about the incident. Emancipation. Perhaps he’ll approach it again on his next album, which he’s currently working on and is titled “Dance in your darkest moments“.

“The last two years of my life have been spiritually and emotionally transformativeThe actor told Access Hollywood at the Los Angeles premiere. “So I have more to say than I’ve ever had to say in my life, and music was the only place where I could really say what I needed to say.” To be continued.

Bad Boys Ride or Die is currently playing at a theater near you.