Not as original as I'd have hoped.

Rating: 5/10 (28 December 2006)

When I walked into this movie, I expected so much to really like it that I was shocked when I didn't. I have long considered Will Smith an underrated actor (most acknowledge his delivery of wit as outstanding, but his acting has been difficult to fairly assess when his films include Independence Day, Men in Black, Wild Wild West, and I, Robot), and the plot seemed interesting.
However, most of the movie concentrated on Gardner's downward spiral. It was unpleasant, yes, but that wasn't just a sign of realism - it was building up unnecessary tension. The balance was off. Once Gardner got the job (Is that a spoiler? I doubt anyone who has seen a preview will doubt this eventually happens), the movie is over like *snaps fingers* that. You're given a quick text run-through of his future successes. The movie indulges in the bad, so that you can feel good about being so comparatively comfortable, So where did it go wrong? The film could have said something important about poverty, but failed.
The acting wasn't at fault - the acting was superb all around. The casting was great. The directing wasn't even at fault. No, the problem was simply with the script. The writer could have stepped it up a notch and made something great, but instead the screenplay that was turned out was predictable. He turned a story that wasn't a cliché into one.