The 25 best movie roles of Will Smith's career

Will Smith is one of the last remaining movie stars from the ‘90s blockbuster era of Hollywood. He’s one of the few who wasn’t made by being in a Marvel movie (though he was in a DC movie). Smith's acting rise was meteoric, going from the sitcom "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" to becoming the biggest star in the world. The idea of what makes somebody the “star” of a film can be a bit murky, but these are the ones we went with for our rankings.

Well, we can’t fault Smith for trying to be a good dad. By starring in “After Earth,” he got a chance to star in a film with his son Jaden and also probably got Jaden his starring role. This weird sci-fi film is a real dud, even by the standards of M. Night Shyamalan’s filmography. Here’s all we need to say: Smith’s character’s name is Cypher Raige.

Smith was on fire when he decided to make “Wild Wild West.” And this was supposed to be his next big move! It was a huge project based on a cult steam punk Western TV show. Unfortunately, the movie lacked the camp charm of the show. “Wild Wild West” is a disaster, but at least it gave us Smith’s theme song for the movie.

In a way, we don’t want to spoil the twist of “Collateral Beauty.” Not because it’s a great movie worth seeing. No, because it’s so insane and ridiculous we want you to discover it for yourself. Maybe just read the synopsis on Wikipedia though. We don’t want you to take the time to actually watch the film.

Sometimes Smith likes to get serious, and he’ll make a heavy, weepy drama. Some of them are worth it. A few of them, though, are really duds. “Seven Pounds” is one of the latter. It’s overwrought and maudlin and the kind of movie that screams “Oscar bait” but never gets there.

“Suicide Squad” is an ensemble film, so we almost didn’t include it. However, it feels like Smith was put at the forefront of the ensemble alongside Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. Smith plays Deadshot, one of the villains corralled into going on a, well, suicide mission for a chance at freedom. The trailer looked pretty good! Evidently, trailers can lie.

Smith reunited with “Suicide Squad” director David Ayer for this Netflix original. In the movie, Smith plays a human cop who is partnered with an orc in a world where fantasy characters exist. It’s a clever concept, but as a movie it doesn’t really work.

It's quite understandable if you either forgot "Emancipation" came out, or totally missed it. The film barely played in theaters and was more of an Apple TV+ play. So far, those movies have fully failed to pop. On top of that, "Emancipation" came out in the wake of "The Slap," a time when people were not interested in what Smith had to offer.

Smith is back at it with a melodramatic drama that’s supposed to leave you feeling good. It’s also another movie starring Smith alongside his son Jaden, who was a little kid at the time. “The Pursuit of Happyness” is based on the true story of a homeless man working to pull himself out of a spiral in the streets of San Francisco. Smith earned a Best Actor nomination, but that feels like a bit of a mistake after the fact.

Smith didn't star once, but twice in "Gemini Man," the latest technology experiment from Ang Lee. In the movie, Smith plays a hitman who finds out that there is a younger clone of him out there, and he's now the target of that clone. While the de-aging technology is fairly impressive, there could have been more to the movie as a movie.

“Bad Boys” was Smith’s first chance to really star in the movie. Naturally, it was a big, dumb action movie about two cops played by Smith and Martin Lawrence. It’s exactly what you expect it to be, and that’s what people want sometimes. Nobody is going to call it an artistic masterpiece, but it hits all the notes you want from a goofy action film.

Yeah, seeing Smith be all big and blue is weird. Also, remaking “Aladdin” was kind of a weird choice. However, Smith did a solid enough job stepping into the role of the Genie. He’ll never be as beloved as Robin Williams was in that role, but you can’t basically remake a classic Disney movie and have it be a total failure. It’s totally adequate if also totally a cash grab.

Once more into the breach, as they say. Seventeen years after "Bad Boys II" Smith and Lawrence returned for another sequel. They are clearly older now, and to their credit that factors into the movie. It's a bit better than the first film, but as you have noticed in these ranking it isn't quite up to the level of the second one.

Slotting in "Bad Boys for Life" was fairly easy. It's a bit better than "Bad Boys for Life." Thus, why not slot in right ahead of the third movie in the franchise? Truly, it's just more of the same, but a tinge more entertaining. 

We all made fun of Smith yelling “tell the truth!” in the trailer, but it was a better movie than that indicated. It was also timely, as the NFL’s effort to bury the seriousness of concussions, and brain damage, in its sport was bubbling up at the time. Smith puts on an accent and does a lot of showy acting, but he’s got the skills to pull it off.

The first of three “Men in Black” movies we will see on this list, “Men in Black II” doesn’t ever really get off the ground. It’s not bad, but it’s also not good. Johnny Knoxville is annoying. However, the chemistry between Smith and Tommy Lee Jones is still there, so it has its fun, charming moments. It’s only really for completists, but it’s a decent enough watch if you see it on TV some lazy weekend afternoon.

Smith first made his name in a supporting role in a serious drama called “Six Degrees of Separation.” Then he became an action, blockbuster star, the role he was built for. Then, Smith went back to the whole drama thing with “The Legend of Bagger Vance.” Smith plays a caddy, the titular Bagger Vance, who helped a golfer played by Matt Damon get his groove back.

Somehow Smith has made only one romantic comedy. You’d think an actor who gets by on charm and comedic timing would do that more often. Instead, we had to settle for “Hitch,” which is far from the best romantic comedy out there. Smith does his best, but he’s acting alongside Kevin James, who isn’t exactly a great scene partner, unless you’re Adam Sandler.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost love “Bad Boys II.” They, and Edgar Wright, made it central to their cop action movie parody “Hot Fuzz.” That’s with good cause, because “Bad Boys II” takes the action and bombast of the first one and ramps it up, like, a million degrees. That makes it in some ways worse but also way more fun.

“Focus” sort of flew under the radar. It was a more mid-budget movie for Smith, but it still was a commercial success. “Focus” is a conman crime drama starring both Smith and Margot Robbie, both talented actors who seem perfect for a sultry crime film. It turned out pretty good even if it’s an underseen movie in Smith’s filmography.

The plot of “I Am Legend” is well known. A man finds himself the last person left on Earth…or so he thinks. You’ve maybe seen another movie based on the same story: “The Omega Man” starring Charlton Heston. Smith has to carry the film, and he largely does. The ending maybe doesn’t work entirely, but it’s a solid enough ride until then.

Based on a classic Isaac Asimov story and built around the sci-fi legends “Three Rules of Robotics,” Smith is acting alongside a lot of CGI robots in the movie. This is before a ton of CGI characters was still super common. The special effects are impressive, and Smith is good in the movie, though the plot could be a bit better.

Smith finally won his Oscar, but nobody will ever think of "King Richard" in that context. Infamously, Smith interrupted the Academy Awards presentation to accost Chris Rock, slapping him in the face. Later that night, he would give his victory speech, but dug a deeper hole for himself. Honestly, Smith's career may never recover, which is unfortunate because Richard Williams is one of his best performances.

This was Smith’s biggest swing at an Oscar but also his best. After all, Smith was playing Muhammad Ali in a biopic directed by Michael Mann. He does a really good job portraying the iconic boxer and got a well-deserved Oscar nomination. Smith didn’t win, though, and had to wait a little longer to get that win. Like, 20 years longer.

It was a decade between the second “Men in Black” movie and the third one. You’d think that would be a bad sign, but actually “Men in Black III” is quite good! This time Smith’s Agent J finds himself time traveling, and he pairs up with a younger version of Jones’ Agent K, played by Josh Brolin. Brolin does a perfect Jones, and it helps make this movie a delayed sequel worth checking out. Rare, we know!

“Hancock” should have been better. The premise is great. Smith plays Hancock, an alcoholic superhero who does more damage than good. Jason Bateman tries to revitalize him and his image. It could have been much stronger, but there is a twist that doesn’t hit entirely. “Hancock” is still one of his best films, but it could have been so much more.

“Independence Day” is goofy. It’s overwrought and heavy-handed. The way the human defeats the aliens is genuinely silly. Nobody seems to care, though. There’s a bunch of crazy action. Aliens blow up the White House! Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith are both great in it! Don’t watch “Independence Day” expecting a work of genius cinema. Do watch it for one of the quintessential action movies of the ‘90s.

Tony Scott can be an acquired taste. His movies are kinetic, maybe even frantic, and you have to strap in for the ride. If you are in for it, though, this is a solid conspiracy thriller. Plus, Smith stars alongside Gene Hackman, who is great. Also, watch this movie for all the not-yet-famous actors in small roles. It’s a truly impressive cast.

And we finish with Smith’s best film. The ‘90s were a great time for Smith. The year after “Independence Day,” he made his best movie, “Men in Black.” It’s a really funny comedy. Smith and Jones have great chemistry. It’s also a cool, somewhat cynical action flick with some great sci-fi elements. It turns out the Earth is teeming with aliens, and it’s up to a shadowy group of folks in black suits to watch over them all and, of course, protect us from the scum of the universe.