The Pursuit of Happyness

Will Smith has come along way from his days in ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’. He has recently been dubbed the ‘The last movie star’ and if one looks at his impressive movie career there is no denying it. a perfect example of Will Smith’s legendary status is in ‘Pursuit of Happyness’ (the spelling mistake is intended and is explained in the movie) The rapper turned actor stirs up a powerful performance, showing his versatility as an actor and proving that his isn’t just the Hollywood blockbuster hero but also formidable actor in drama genre. Will Smith stars and produces ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ an inspirational movie loosely based on the life of Christopher Gardner. As the title suggests it is a story about a poor family man’s quest for happiness against the odds. Gardner (Smith) is a struggling sales man trying to make it into the stock brokerage business as an intern. Frustrated by the poverty, his wife Linda (Thandie Newton) bails out on Gardner and his son Christopher played by newcomer Jaden Smith (Smith’s real-life son). A chance encounter leads Gardner to Dean Witter a brokerage firm where there are looking for 20 intern stock brokers from which only one will be hired. Though the film is predictable, it still manages to work your emotion.
Apart from excellent performances from both Smiths there aren’t any outstanding performances from the rest of the cast. Thandie Newton is rather weak as the unhappy wife, though I think that the script did not help her cause. Newcomer Jaden Smith is wonderful, showing that it was not just his cute looks and daddy that got him the role. Their pairing works in getting an authentic father and son chemistry. The same cannot be said about the on screen relationship between Smith and Newton. They are not compelling. There is no chemistry between them even for a loveless, failed marriage.
Smith’s brilliant performance earned him his second Oscar nomination for best actor. It was a well-deserved nomination for Smith showing that he is capable of acting the teary and emotional roles a side he has been exploring with movies such as ‘Ali’, I am Legend’ and recently ‘7 Pounds’. Even with Smith’s brilliance some of the scenes come across as overacted and exaggerated but overall Smith deserved the Oscar nod. Young Jaden is shows great depth and promise. Some of his scenes are sure to melt even the coldest of hearts.
Smith insisted that Italian Gabriele Muccino direct the movie because the actor appreciated his style in movies such as ‘L'ultimo bacio’ and ‘Ricordati di me’. The story line is not outstanding; it is simple and easy to follow. It moves in chronological order making use of unconventional narration. Gardner repeatedly says “this part of my life is called running” or “this part of my life is me being stupid”. This is unnecessary and at times redundant. We can see Gardner running down the streets of San Francisco. We did not need anyone telling us that.
Marketed with the line ‘inspired by a true story’ and the box office muscle of Will Smith the movie was bound to be a box office hit. The film is based on the values of the ‘American dream’ and having the determination of fighting for what you want. The film also deals with the issues of poverty and its effect on families. Muccino is successful in depicting the poverty experienced by some Americans in graphic detail. In one scene the Gardner family is so poor that after dinner Linda takes all the left over juices from the table and puts it back into the juice jar for the next meal.
Pursuit of Happyness is motivational and like a true under dog Gardner is down on his luck. At times you can’t help but feel like life is out to get him. The film has a number of stimulating scenes that seem to stretch for too long. The movie runs for 117 minutes and for most of it we see Gardner suffer terribly in ‘Pursuit’ it would have been refreshing to see his life after achieving ‘Happyness’.