The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) Will Smith, Thandie Newton and Jaden Smith.
One of Will Smith’s Best movies.

The Pursuit of Happyness is the true story of Christopher Gardner who went from down and out, to become a successful stockbroker and financier.

This film pulls at heartstrings at every turn and yet it is not sentimental drivel, instead, it is the story of a courage and determination. Chris Gardner’s (Will Smith) wife Linda (Thandie Newton) is unhappy, seemingly about every aspect of their marriage, she nags Chris continually. She finally leaves him and their child . Newton’s time on screen is negligible, but the time that she is on screen, she is venomous. Her attitude pretty much shows where Gardner is at this time in his life. In addition to loosing his wife, Chris also looses his apartment. He and his son have to face and live on the mean streets of San Francisco, but his faith and belief in himself are amazingly strong.

Chris Gardner goes from a man who had a relatively decent life, to eating at soup kitchens and sleeping in a toilet stall. At one point, he has fight to keep his place in line for a slot to sleep in a shelter. Some of the scenes in this movie can rip your heart out, while others make you smile at Gardner’s extraordinary bold faith in himself. The one thing the man does have is style, he sees what he wants and goes after it. What he wants is a chance to become a stockbroker at Dean Witter. When he goes to apply for an internship, he looks around the room at others awaiting the same opportunity and knows that he must do something special to get his foot in the door. If Gardner is anything, he is honest with himself; he accepts that he may not be able to compete on paper, so he decides to give the powers-that-be something more impressive than his resume. In the presence of those who hold his future in their hands, Gardner manages to solve a Rubik's Cube and get invited to a golf club outing, all the while pitching for a Dean Witter internship. Along the way, he teaches his son to believe in himself and to never let anyone, even his father, tell that he cannot do something. Gardner has to remember that sentiment time after time, while he is studying and trying to keep up with interns who eat regularly and sleep in real beds.

While The Pursuit of Happyness is not a two-hanky tearjerker, it does call for one hanky. Moviegoers with the strongest resolve will break, when they see some of the trials and tribulations Chris Gardner goes through to gain a good life for his son and himself. This is an uplifting and feel-good film. Nevertheless, I suggest that you read the book The Pursuit of Happyness for a more rounded picture of Christopher Gardner.

With Fresh Prince of Bel-Air still being shown on some channels, it is not difficult to imagine Will Smith where he is today. His talent showed back then. However, Smith has something bigger going for him than his huge talent; he seems to be a really nice guy. The role of Chris Gardner fits Will Smith very well. Smith produced this fine film and received an Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.

Others in the cast: Dan Castellaneta, Kurt Fuller, George Cheung, Brian Howe, Michael Silverman, Kevin West and Takayo Fischer.

Rated PG-13 for some language.

The Pursuit of Happyness (Widescreen Edition) from Amazon.com