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

This Christmas (2007) Loretta Devine, Delroy Lindo, Idris Elba, Regina King

An old-fashioned family Christmas in a hip-hop generation.

The dark opening nightclub scene in This Christmas does not shout ‘holiday comedy’ or ‘Christmas movie’. However, once we are transported to Ma’Dere’s (Loretta Devine) cheerful house all of that changes. This large family has not been together for Christmas in four years and Ma’Dere is determined to make this holiday one the family will not forget. Loretta Devine brings spirit, warmth and believability to her strong matriarch character.

The Whitfield family is like most families when the get together, they are noisy, they bond again, talk a lot, and tease one another. And like many families, they have secrets. Ma’Dere has a couple of secrets of her own. These are open secrets that five of her children know and accept . Each of them has kept their mother’s secret from Quentin the eldest sibling.

There are so many story avenues in The Christmas the film could have become confusing. However, the intertwined stories work like a charm and you soon find yourself caught up in family drama. Big brother Quentin arrives with his secret and trouble hot on his heels, but the biggest secret may be the one that Ma’Dere’s military son holds close. Even Michael, the youngest son, whom everyone calls “Baby”, has a secret. He has ambitions of becoming a singer, but fears his mother’s disapproval. Talented hip-hop singer Chris Brown portrays Michael nicely. Daughter Lisa (Regina King) who appears to be living the American dream has her own secret. At some point while watching This Christmas you begin to care about this family. As their problems and troubles are unveiled, you hope for the best.

It would seem that it is Ma’Dere who is glue that holds this lively family together and of course, she does. But it is her boyfriend, Joseph (Delroy Lindo) who quietly stands by to mend and soothe, and take care of Ma’Dere and her children.

There are several scenes that tug at the heartstrings, and one very funny cheating husband bathroom scene. I left the movie theater smiling. I felt weepy, but uplifted. And I left convinced that This Christmas is definitely a “feel good” Christmas film. It may even stand the test of time.

Others in This Christmas are Keith Robinson Laz Alonso, Columbus Short, David, Banner, Sharon Leal, Lauren London, Lupe Ontiveros and Jessica Stroup.

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn

This Bourne is a winner!

I loved the third entry of the action-filled Bourne films. The Bourne Ultimatum started like a house on fire and continued the momentum through the entire film. The nonstop action is not tiring to the viewer, nor does it get in the way of the story in this continuing Bourne saga.

The Bourne Ultimatum may be final installment of the Bourne movies. However, film audiences seem to love Matt Damon and his Bourne persona so we may be seeing Bourne sometime in the future.

Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) works for a covert CIA operation--he does not know why or how this came to be. He is not even sure what his job is. He does know that he is not safe and that “they” want him dead. The question is why? The answer is he knows too much. However, he does not know what it is he knows, because he cannot remember anything from his past. Are we clear on that? This film reminds me of the 2003 film Paycheck. Bourne’s frequent and hazy flashbacks fade away so quickly that he cannot get a handle on them. He believes that the obscure figure in the flashbacks hold the key to his true identity.

Bourne has made it his mission to find out how he arrived where he is before he is caught and killed. Matt Damon is superb in his Jason Bourne skin. However, it is David Strathairn as Noah Vosen, a high-ranking CIA operative who holds your attention. The Noah Vosen character is new to the Bourne series. Strathairn’s Vosen, is intense and riveting. We watch as he looses sight of everything else except the extermination of his target. The CIA’s clandestine operation success or failure depends on whether Bourne lives or dies.

Bourne’s only ally is agent Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), who works for Vosen. She suspects that there is more going on than meets the eye. She wants to help, but finds that she is under the watchful eyes of Vosen and his cronies.

The Bourne Ultimatum has all gadgetry trappings of The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy and then some. Jason Bourne travels to four or five countries as he continues his search for his identity and to find out who is trying to kill him and why. He ends up in Madrid, where he finds Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles), who also works for the CIA, but is not part of its covert op. Stiles does not have a big part in this film her role is important to Bourne’s discovery of who he is. The ending leaves the filmgoer wondering if there will be another Bourne movie. Others in the cast are Scott Glenn, Paddy Considine, Edgar Ramirez and Albert Finney as Dr. Albert Hirsch.

The film was directed by Paul Greengrass, cinematography by Oliver Wood, film editing by Christopher Rouse.

I think The Bourne Ultimatum is the best Bourne entry yet. I also think it is very much Oscar-worthy.

License to Wed (2007) Robin Williams, John Krasinki, Mandy Moore

License to Wed is not Robin Williams shining hour.

As a huge Robin Williams fan I was very disappointed in License to Wed. I think Williams talent is wasted in this film.

Beleaguered Ben Murphy (John Krasinki) and his fiancée, Sadie Jones (Mandy Moore) have different ideas concerning their wedding ceremony location. Ben wants to get married in the Caribbean, Sadie wants to get married in the same small town and same church her parents were wed 30 years ago. He relents, thus starts their nightmare to the alter. The two must first meet with Reverend Frank (Robin Williams) an unconventional and very hip man of cloth. At one point, the Reverend tries to heal a bloody nose with a laying on of hands and repeating the words from an M.C Hammer song. Any couple who wants their nuptials performed by the Reverend must pass his rigorous and outrageous three-week training course.

One of the training course rules is no sex before the honeymoon. This does not sit well with Ben since he and Sadie live together and sleep in the same bed. However, the “no sex” rule soon becomes the least of the couples worries. The idiotic training course is quickly derailing their wedding plans, and causing them rethink for their feelings for each other. How about trusting your fiancé to shout directions while you drive blindfolded. Or attending a workshop to learn how to carry the bride across the threshold? Perhaps the worst of the gimmicks are the robot twin infants who make “pooping” noises, with special scent and blue poop to add to the realism. The Reverend goes to extreme lengths, including bugging the couples bedroom, to make sure they are following his training course rules. For some reason the words, “disturbing” and “creepy” come to mind when I think of Robin Williams character. I cannot put my finger on it, but the Reverend made me uncomfortable.

Reverend Frank’s young apprentice (Josh Flitter), whose name is never mentioned, is supposed to be precocious (I think), instead, he comes off as an incredibly annoying child. Josh Flitter portrayed Corky in the 2007 Nancy Drew film and Stewart in Big Momma’s House 2. Between Reverend Frank and the child, the couple is harassed ad nauseam. What should have been a funny film feels a bit mean-spirited. To be fair there are some funny moments in License to Wed but not enough to bring it up to Robin Williams usual high standard.

Also in the cast are Eric Christian Olsen, Christine Taylor, Peter Strauss and Roxanne Hart.

Rated PG-13