A heart-wrenching performance by Hollywood’s hottest A-list actor, Will Smith, with the on-screen assistance of his real life son, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, makes “The Pursuit of Happyness”, a memorable and emotionally powerful film. Better known for his action and science fiction films, Smith has proven his acting chops before as Muhammad Ali, in the Oscar nominated “Ali”. In this performance, Smith creates a strong, positive role-model for men everywhere - especially fathers - with his unbreakable spirit, as he tries to do what is best for his young son, while life keeps giving him obstacle after obstacle to overcome.
Will Smith stars as Chris Gardner, a man who lives with his wife and young son in a small apartment in 1980s San Francisco. Gardner did not receive an education beyond high school, but he is good with numbers and has great social skills. He starts the film working as a salesman who lives solely by commission, selling a medical device that is often seen by hospitals and doctor’s offices as a non-essential item they can’t afford. As his small business flounders, his wife, performed by Thandie Newton (“Crash”) is required to work double shifts at her physically exhausting job, to pay the bills. Finally, as if on a whim, Gardner decides to apply for a stock broker position at a prestigious firm, learning only once its too late that it is actually a non-paying internship. If he is lucky enough to get the internship, he is only one of twenty other interns who are trying to get one open position at the firm. Will Gardner be able to juggle all his responsibilities to have a real chance at the position? If he does manage to get the paid position, it will be his family’s ticket out of poverty.
This film is, at its core, a social commentary on the working poor. The audience must consider if it is fair, in the wealthiest nation in the world, that a couple could work two full time positions, and still be unable to make ends meet? Smith’s portrayal of someone who is in that position, as he struggles to maintain his human dignity, even as he moves from place to place because he can’t pay the rent, rings true to this reviewer. One of the most upsetting scenes, has Gardner with his son in a public bathroom at the train station, overnight, with the father trying to make a game out of the situation to keep the child from knowing what is happening. Watching Smith’s eyes as he holds back tears, because he doesn’t know what to do next, will hurt your heart. Newton also puts in a stellar performance as the overworked mother, a character the audience may or may not sympathize with.
The film asks each one of us, as we watch, what our definition of happiness is? It may not be what you initially think it is, because the main character seems the most happy when he is with his son, no matter where that might be. “The Pursuit of Happyness” is a thought provoking film, that does have uplifting moments that save it from being gloomy throughout. I believe it is an important film to watch, one most people will enjoy, and it may even give some people hope. What more can you ask out of a movie?
5 out of 5