Watching "The Pursuit of Happyness" tonight was almost a religious experience.Perhaps that is "blasphemous" because,although religion does play a small role in the movie,the overall story is about the triumph of a man against immeasurable odds.
One of the reasons for my "religious" feeling towards the film has to do with the audience that filled the theater for the 9:40 P.M.showing.For one thing,the audience was one of the largest I had seen in an Odessa,Texas theater in a long time.Even more importantly,the audience was definitely one of the most racially diverse groups I have ever seen.But,most important of all was the straight-forward tale "narrated" to us by the main character of the film,Chris Gardner.
All too often in this world,we take for granted what we are given.Sometimes,we accept defeat with barely a whimper.But some people such as Chris Gardner would not allow himself and his son to be defeated although he literally had nothing at one point in his life.Gardner invokes the words and the thoughts of Thomas Jefferson in his quest of happiness that was mentioned in our Declaration of Independence penned primarily by Jefferson.The fact that those words were even included in that document are amazing in themselves.Life,liberty and property rights are more frequently thought of as inalienable rights but the artist in Jefferson included the concept of pursuing happiness.
THE PLOT
If you've seen the trailers or read any of the reviews,you already know that Chris Gardner is a man down on his luck.He has a wife that works double shifts as a waitress and a son who he thinks the world of but is barely able to support.Gardner was abandoned by his own father at three and has vowed that his own children will always know their father.
But,Gardner has sunk his life savings in a "bone density" machine that is barely more efficient than an x-ray machine and far more expensive.His life becomes one "bill collector" nightmare after the other to the point where his wife decides to leave him and his son.After his wife leaves,Gardner's life gets even worse as he is kicked out of his apartment.
By chance one day,Gardner runs into a very happy man with a fancy red car who says he is a stockbroker for a major firm.With no formal training,but with a brilliant mind and a strong will to succeed,Gardner gets a chance,albeit a very small chance,to work for the Dean Witter brokerage firm.While he is studying for the broker test,he and his son are living in abject poverty.
WHAT I LOVED ABOUT THE FILM
Chris Gardner is portrayed to perfection by Will Smith in what is certainly one of the strongest performances of his life.Only his acting in "Ali" come close to his work here although he has had an extremely successful career ("Independence Day","Men in Black","Wild,Wild West","Hitch").Here,Smith shows both the strength and the courage of a man who is willing to fight against all odds and he does so without "overacting." We see Gardner lose his temper,almost lose his life but never give up on his quest for his and his son's happiness.
Gardner's son,Christopher,is played by Will Smith's real son,Jaden Smith,in his first motion picture role.Young Jaden does a fantastic job as the young boy who can live the life of abject poverty and still praise his father.The naturalness of the portrayal is obvious in every scene which speaks volumes for both father and son's talent.
This "naturalness" is also the result of the excellent directing of Gabriele Muccino,heretofore a director of Italian films as well as the fine screenplay by Steve Conrad ("The Weather Man").The source material for the film is the book of the same name by the real Chris Gardner.
I also was impressed by the cinematography of Phedon Papamichael who shows both the beauty of San Francisco's richer sections,and the squalor of the downtrodden sections of the city.
The music composed by Andrea Guerra ("Hotel Ruwanda") is perfect for the film and is augmented by music from George Benson and other pop songs from the early 80's.
I went to the film with my wife and two stepdaughters who are in their early twenties.We don't always agree on the relative merits of the films we see.But all of us agreed that this is one of the best films produced in 2006.It shows the amazing strength of one person but represents the best is the American dream.Of course,for all the "Chris Gardners" in this country,there are countless individuals who don't succeed,but this film gives the hope that can be realized by faith in one's self and hard work.