Smith runs away with it

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 2006)

"The Pursuit of Happiness" is a retelling of poor-boy-makes-good, or what some people like to call "the American dream," but it avoids the pitfalls of a clichéd storyline. Certainly, the audience can feel secure that Chris Gardner, the main character, will succeed in some fashion or else a film would never have been based on his autobiography, but the simple, sentimental score, well-written screenplay, subtle direction and, above all, Will Smith's acting make us strive with Gardner, cry with him, and hurt with him.
Smith is a gifted actor, and this film really showcases his emotional range. His natural rapport with his son is in no way one-sided; Jaden Smith is believable and very charming.
While I do not buy into the idea that a big house, fancy car, oodles of money made never mind how, and a high-stress Wall Street job equal happiness, to focus on the merit of Gardner's capitalist dream would be to miss the heart of the film; Gardner believes that becoming a stockbroker is his key for happiness, and we are here to appreciate his struggle as he claws his way out of the gutter. He doggedly completes his tasks each day, getting knocked down and staggering onward, sometimes taking his immense frustration out on his son, and attempting to keep up appearances so that he can go to the office.
Gardner's tale is like "Die Hard" for the masses; he has to endure being arrested, being evicted, fighting for a bed at the homeless shelter, trying to keep appointments and to study while holding down two full-time jobs with no car, sprinting all over San Francisco, attempting to keep himself and his son clean--it just does not stop. Watch Smith's face during the film--he shows us a man who only just manages to fend off despair. He bleeds and weeps because of the injustice in the world, with disappointment at how his potential has been wasted, with the weight of all his past failures, and with worry for his son. But he clings to the path he has chosen in the belief that it will lead him from this torment. One can actually see the dead look in Smith's eyes, the punch-drunk expression of one who is suffering, who is juggling so many burdens that his mind spills over with the effort, for whom a seemingly minor setback is a Big Deal. Smith gets it, and he makes us get it, too.
Incidentally, were Will Smith not an actor, he could probably have been a stuntman or a professional athlete. He has had running scenes in many of his films to date, and in this movie he looks ready to set a new record for the 400 meters. Smith is a little too fit and energetic for a homeless guy who hardly sleeps and eats in a soup kitchen for much of the movie, but his running and carrying feats illustrate Gardner's bulldog tenacity, and how his own physical power and endurance aided him in achieving his ends.
Smith deserves an Oscar award for his performance in this film. The movie itself is well made overall, but Smith's acting towers over everything. Well done.