Will Smith plays, Chris Gardner, a floundering salesman poised to begin a life-changing professional endeavor while struggling to support his son. Chris clings to the dream of becoming a stockbroker even when the odds against him become more daunting by the day. Together, father and son struggle through homelessness, jail time and an overall punishing despair.
It’s a heartrending film that, arguably, wouldn’t have worked with any other lead actors. Will Smith is charming enough to ease you into the hardest moments of this character’s life.
Turns out, he’s a pretty talented actor too.
The dynamic that results from performing opposite his real-life son serves to naturally draw you into their relationship… it builds the drama invested by the audience as they root for the pair’s survival.
Chris Gardner’s journey is extremely difficult. We see him move from one ordeal to the next, but then the film stops suddenly and we never really get to see the benefits of his efforts. This movie needed a payoff. But since there isn’t one, the overall effect is a daunting sadness that ends abruptly… kinda like a Natalie Merchant song.
The film is called the Pursuit of Happyness; the misspelling, of course, a reference to his relationship with the son. It is not called the pursuit of the multi-million dollar opportunity. We see him get the job offer, but we never really get to see him save his son. We have to settle for spying on them through a window and can only imagine what happens next. For the audience that has emotionally invested themselves in the survival of this father and son, our concern feels unrewarded.
While the ending does detract from the overall film, it’s still a great story that’s easy to relate to even if you’ve never been in a similar situation.
Best Bonus Feature: Will Smith’s catchy tune “No ‘I’ in Happyness” – a beautifully choreographed dance video.
Alright, yeah, I made that one up.
There is a feature called “Inside the Rubik’s Cube” which takes a curious look at the activities of the international Rubik's Cube community. Personally, I was endlessly amused (and slightly astounded) to see the cube solved by someone wearing a blindfold.
Who should own: Anyone that’s ever wanted a better job in order to provide for their family. Anyone that hates leaving their child at a less than perfect day-care.
