It had so much potential, but it bitterly disappoints. Boring, uninspiring and very annoying.

Rating: 1/10 (4 May 2010)

The Pursuit of Happiness follows the story of Chris Gardner and his five year old son Christopher in the early eighties as they end up on the street after Chris's wife leaves them. Gardner struggles to pay bills, do his job well where has to sell a advanced x-ray machine to hospitals to earn money. He and his son end up sleeping on the streets, at a motel, a bathroom and a homeless shelter and his only hope is a stockbroker internship programme with twenty applicants and only one can be hired.
This film in a way is similar to the phenomenal Seven Pounds with Gabrille Muccino of sadness etc. I was really looking forward to this film and thought it would be amazing if not very good. People have described this as inspiring, hopeful and emotional. I felt none of that. This was so bitterly disappointing for me. To me this movie is just plain crap. Will Smith gives a reasonable performance, but I expected much more. I know this is based on a true story and living on the streets is bleak and horrifying and the film depicts it realistically well, but it just gets crammed down your throat constantly as though you are too dumb as an audience to understand what is happening. Gardner runs after people who steal his x-ray machine, he gets some money to get by, he loses some,find a place to sleep with a bed then has to sleep on the street. It's like a repeating time loop and just becomes so repetitive that I just got bored and very annoyed. There are a few touching moments between Smith and his real life son Jaden who plays Christopher but it's few and far between and when it does come it's far too late. I just didn't care about them or there story.There is little or if no hope in this film at all even though he's pursuing happiness. So he gets the job at the end? It's more like the money that makes him happy.
This films mocks you with the title as there is no happiness and though the ending is meant to depict that. I felt nothing and I was uninspired. Not to mention in moments when the film is sad there is happy music. What's that about? There's little bonding between father and son and even the son was getting on my nerves. One of the most disappointing and overpraised movies I have seen. I just feel depressed, very annoyed and absolutely conned. Seven Pounds is fantastic see that instead. Not this deceitful boring garbage.