A beautiful & touching movie about hope, love, survival, fatherhood, and dreams, with a breathtaking performance by Will Smith

Rating: 10/10 (12 September 2016)

Chris (Will Smith): "Don't ever let somebody tell you you can't do something. Not even me. All right?" Christopher (Jaden Smith): "All right".
Chris: "You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period".
I have to confess that I have a big crush on Will Smith, an actor and rapper who I find super sexy, nice, funny, and cool. I've recently bought many of his movies and albums. I am only now discovering, together with my kids, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Yes, I didn't watch it in the 90s!). So, I bought this movie just because Will is in it. And I was blown away by the movie. The Pursuit of Happiness (yes, with a "Y": that's because of a misspelled graffiti on the wall of Christopher's depressing day-care) is one of the best movies I have ever seen. The film is touching, surprising, sad and funny. The Pursuit of Happiness will break your heart and will make you value what you have. But this is not a depressing movie. It is a movie about hope, love, survival, fatherhood, and about never giving up your dreams.
The Pursuit of Happiness is based on a true story: the story of Chris Gardner and his struggle for a decent life while keeping his son next to him at all times. The real Chris Gardner was present throughout the shooting and discussed several things with Will and director Gabriele Muccino.
Will Smith was nominated for an Oscar for his breathtaking performance of Chris Gardner. That's definitely one of the best performances of Will's career (if not the best), together with his stunning portrayals of Muhammad Ali in Ali (2001) and Dr. Bennet Omalu in Concussion (2015).
Chris Gardner first thought that Will was miscast to play him, but his daughter Jacintha told him: "If Smith can play Muhammad Ali, he can play you!".
Jaden Smith's performance is also amazing. He wasn't cast in the film right away. Director Gabriele Muccino saw some 250 kids and he said that they were all cute and fine. The problem was that Muccino wasn't looking for a cute and fine little boy, but for a little boy who could be real. After a week, Muccino asked Will if his son Jaden could read for him, and, when he did, Muccino was amazed. The love that father and son have for each other in real life can be definitely felt in the movie. Jaden, who portrays a 5 year old Christopher, was 8 years old when the movie was shot and released. The real Christopher (Chris Gardner's son), however, was just a baby at the time of the real events.
The best: Will's brilliant performance, the toilet scene, Will's running, Jaden's fresh performance, and the board room scene towards the end of the movie.
The worst: nothing. / Antonia Tejeda Barros (Madrid, Spain)