Will You Be Seeing Emancipation?

Less than a year after his infamous slap and weak apologies, Will Smith is back in a new Oscar contender. The star hasn't earned his way to redemption. But the movie tells a story that America urgently needs.

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There they were: a collective of black culture royals-Rihanna and beau A$AP Rocky, Dave Chappelle, Tyler Perry, Kenya Barris-all of them (save RiRi and her puckered lips) all smiles as they served as the affirmative background of a Will Smith selfie. The occasion for that mirthful photo of elites was a private screening of Will's movie Emancipation. He took the pic and posted it back in October, and the intent was clear.

Damn, we were to think. Look who's all standing with him.

Emancipation had been one of several of Will's projects reported to be imperiled by his ineffable, indelible, unprecedented decision to saunter onto the stage of the Academy Awards and slap Chris Rock for joking about his wife, Jada. Prior to that infamous deed, Emancipation was anticipated as an Oscar contender and Will's performance in it hyped as yet another worthy of an Academy Award. (Recall he won Best Actor that night for King Richard.)

Post-slap, Will was, by and large, persona non grata in Hollywood, a censure that included the Academy banning him from attending the ceremony for ten years, as well as hella Hollywood stars condemning both his actions and him.

Will made some weak attempts at showing compunction, which Chris hasn't accepted-but did address in his stand-up. "Everybody is trying to be a fucking victim," he joked, according to CNN. "If everybody claims to be a victim, then nobody will hear the real victims. Even me getting smacked by Suge Smith...I went to work the next day. I got kids."

But oh what a difference eight months has made. For reconciliation or not, Apple decided to release the film this year after all. And it's no small coinkydink that its December 2 theatrical release date makes it eligible for Oscar consideration.