Live action is in some ways a slower, more cumbersome medium, which suits Smith just fine, his own moments of song-and-dance lunacy being neither as frequent nor as inspired. When he sings “You ain’t never had a friend like me,” it’s hard not to recall Williams’ much more elaborate version of the number and smile at the irony. But Smith’s interpretation has its sneaky pleasures. He makes a less quippy and in some ways pricklier Genie, less inclined to coddle Aladdin and more prone to doling out the kind of romantic advice that might remind you of the professional love guru Smith played in “Hitch.”

Source: Los Angeles Times May 22, 2019 13:03 UTC