The Pursuit of Happyness (DVD review)

Rated: PG-13 (for some language)
Runtime: 117 minutes
Directed By: Gabriele Muccino
Written By: Steve Conrad
Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, Thandie Newton

For the most part I’ve enjoyed anything Will Smith has done to at least some extent. The guy’s come a long way since his days as the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and proven that not only does he have a natural flair for the comedic, but also has emerged as a highly marketable action star as well as an actor capable of carrying strong dramatic performances. Arguably the greatest rapper/musician-turned-actor success story, Smith has earned his place among the Hollywood elite. His latest flick is another welcome notch on his cinematic belt.

The Pursuit of Happyness (intentionally misspelled with a “y”) works as a vehicle to showcase Smith’s dramatic talents, which is nice to see after he’s been enjoying more commercial success with the likes of I, Robot, Bad Boys II and Hitch. Granted, he was good in the aforementioned films, but it’s nice to know he doesn’t opt to suppress his versatility by striving to be typecast as the action/comedy guy.

The tale is based on a true story of Chris Gardner (Smith), a down-on-his-luck, partially educated yet street-and-business-savvy everyman who endures great struggle (including being penniless and homeless) before/while entering an unpaid internship to have a chance as a stock broker at a prestigious firm… all the while with his five-year-old son in tow.

The script, penned by Steve Conrad (The Weather Man), is decently populated with believable characters and honest dialogue. And Gabriele Muccino offers this modest fiction a directing technique that channels something grand through simplicity. A sort of humble underdog tale that almost feels like a strange mix of Wall Street and Life is Beautiful. The story feels multifaceted – simultaneously one of rising above your class and financial status, of achieving the American Dream, and of minority struggle (both in the sense of African-American oppression, but also, in a way Muccino crafts this to where it feels like Italian-immigrant stories of cinematic past).

Smith’s performance, which rightly earned him an Oscar nomination, is genuine and wholly dynamic. You get to watch his character’s layers peeled back rather elegantly to the point where it’s nearly impossible not to sympathize with him. Even though his family suffers as he follows his ambition, it’s somehow inspiring. The real gems are the moments with his son, played by Smith’s real life son, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (interestingly enough – in reality, Gardner’s son was only 18 months old when this story took place, not five… one of those Hollywood alterations). There’s something magical as Smith takes moments of despair and turns them positive for the sake of his son. There’s a scene where the two have no place to stay for the night and are sitting on a subway bench. He tells his son that a medical device he’s carrying (which he sells door-to-door for cash) is actually a time machine. Suddenly, Smith starts looking about in wonder, asking his son if he can see the dinosaurs. The son excitedly takes part in the fantasy and they work their way to a cave (in actuality a subway bathroom) where they sleep for the night. Reality comes crashing back when, as his son sleeps, Smith braces his foot against the locked bathroom door as someone bangs to be let in. Quietly he cries, hoping his son won’t wake up to find the illusion has vanished and they are spending the night on a dirty bathroom floor. Unapologetically taking the easy way out to tug on the audience’s heartstrings, it’s moments like this that make this flick shine.

My biggest complaint is that despite a grand, intensely focused yet appropriately restrained performance from Smith, the honest charisma of his son, and the minimalist direction, The Pursuit of Happyness never really goes the extra mile and somewhat emerges as a run-of-the-mill, paint-by-numbers tale. It’s like 7/8 of the movie is dismal and depressing with the ever-present glimmer of hope and the predictable happy ending (obvious because of the title, and the fact that if there hadn’t been any success at the end of this true tale the movie probably wouldn’t have been made). I liked it, but couldn’t help finding myself wanting more. Still, it’s definitely something worth checking out.

My Rating: B