News Staff Reporter
Columbia Pictures’ “The Pursuit of Happyness,” based on a true-life story, tells the heart-wrenching story of a man’s burdensome journey to triumph over all of life’s hardships.
What if you woke up one morning and found that your life was rapidly coming to pieces? Chris Gardner (Will Smith) wakes up to find just that. While struggling as a door-to-door salesman hawking bone density scanners, Chris realizes that this job does not give him enough to provide for his family. He is given an internship at a prestigious stockbrokerage firm but soon finds out that it is, like most internships, unpaid. When the mother of his five-year-old son, played by Thandie Newton, leaves him because of his financial situation, Chris’ misfortunes begin to escalate, leading to his subsequent eviction from his San Francisco apartment. He can no longer afford the cost of living; food, hotels, and even his son’s daycare, where the caretaker can spell as well as the children he minds.
Chris Gardner and his son Christopher, played by Smith’s son Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, become homeless and endure many indignities, including resorting to living in shelters, bus stations, and subway bathrooms. Although Chris’ troubles are cumbersome, he strives to be a loving and caring father and uses all his intelligence to pursue a better life for his son and himself. Warning: spoiler ahead. At the movie’s conclusion, Gardner attains his goal of making partnership at the firm.
Audiences are used to seeing Smith in his work on television in “The Fresh Prince,” and action films such as “Independence Day” and the “Men In Black” series. Compared to his performances in these other films, Smith is mature, convincing, and captivating in this role. Given great material to work with in the form of Steve Conrad’s intelligent screenplay, Smith has garnered a best actor nomination in the Golden Globe awards and is a worthy contender for an Oscar. Smith’s performance with his son Jaden is what keeps the movie from becoming depressing or uninteresting. The performance by Smith and his real-life son depicts an authentic relationship that is rarely seen on-screen. Thandie Newton, who has previously appeared in the movies “Crash,” and “Beloved,” also gives an outstanding performance. Utterly convincing as Gardener’s wife, Newton’s emotional depth brings to life her financial stress and helps the audience connect with her plight.
“The Pursuit of Happyness,” directed by Gabriele Muccino, tries to show audiences that hard work and persistence pay off and that money doesn’t buy happiness. Some might find this message to be distorted or a stretch of the imagination because the events of the film could lead to the opposite conclusion that money does in fact buy happiness. The movie is well done, and that it can be enjoyed for the journey to its climax rather than for its ultimate conclusion. The director’s vivid portrayal of homeless life and what poverty truly means adds to the film’s success. The film takes viewers to an uplifting destination and forces them to question what real happiness actually is.
