Ok. The slap.
By the way, for a star that has made quite a few action movies, when it came to it, he wasn’t able to deliver a very convincing slap.
I mean, its Will Smith – Man in Black! Surely he could manage something that would have sent the recipient sprawling onto the floor. But this one was more of an awkward, leaning back and not into the slap kindof gesture. In martial art terms, was low-contact.
Did Chris Rock deserve it is the more talked-about question.
Well, comedy has descended into quite dark depths nowadays. From a pun on words and slapstick to the infamous “roasts”, where do you stop grinning and bearing it, and take matters to heart (or hand, as in this case)?
Personally speaking, I found the joke in bad taste, considering that Will’s wife is undergoing a personal health issue and struggling to cope with the despair that possibly comes with it. Will may be one of the largest movie stars in the world, but he is also a person. Whether Chris deserved it just because he read out from the script, or whether he had an impromptu moment is anyone’s guess (or will be talked about in the days and months to come).
Some also suspected of it being scripted, well mostly us Indians, because we have been used to the award shows where everything is scripted, bought or boycotted. The Academies are not that different by the way, but let’s reserve that for another day.
What stays with us today is boundaries. Some people can take a joke, others can’t. Those who can – well, good for you! Those who can’t, well they are human too, so let’s cut them some slack. Insult comedy has it’s fans, but clearly Will isn’t one of them, especially when it comes to family.
Call it hypocritical, but everyone is, when it comes to family…aren’t you:)
See you tomorrow!