Seen: April 1st, 2007
Format: DVD
Rating: 7
You've seen this film before.
That's not a bad thing. This is a good film. This is a tru-ish story of determination and will overcoming adversity. It is a film about the importance of family. It is a film which exemplifies the American Dream.
I'm impressed by Chris Gardner's journey. His perseverance it admirable. This version of his story is interesting, but not compelling. I mean no disrespect to Mr. Gardner, but we've seen many stories like his, and there are many more in the wings. It might be interesting to read his book to see what compromises were made for the film. It wouldn't surprise me if the "real" story were more compelling.
The thing which ultimately savesThe Pursuit of Happyness is the performances.
Will Smith proves yet again that he can really act. It can be hard for me to ignore an actor I know and focus on his character. I did not have that problem with Smith here. He inhabits his character totally. Chris does things happily that I couldn't imagine Smith doing or accepting.
Jaden Smith is compelling as well. This is one of the best performances I've seen from child actor in the last few years. Jaden as well, inhabits his character. It'll be interesting to see where he goes from here. I should mention Thandie Newton as well, whom I think is generally underestimated. Her role her is unsympathetic (though, in my opinion, not unjustified), and she plays it straight and true.
In the end, The Pursuit of Happyness is a solid, if unremarkable film. I don't see it standing the test of time and feel that it may have suffered a bit at Hollywood's hands.
The Good: The next generation of Smith talent
The Bad: Downplaying the the cannibalistic nature of finance
The Ugly: The cost of chasing the American Dream
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