The Pursuit of Money

Rating: 3/10 (9 January 2007)

Though I think the movie was made with good intentions, it is sad for me, to see that none of the involved could foresee how it would turn out to be such a- Wait, forget it.
Now that I have written it, I think it's worse.
It seems to me that these people seriously don't think the way I do, and the way i do is i dislike equating happiness ("All those happy faces") to having a job. Moreso, a "good" (as in getting a lot of money) job.
I mean, I know one has to live - but the film is grossly assuming people have perfect lives if only they'd have money... or maybe it is simply centering on the "getting a job" theme but it certainly mixes that small part of life with other themes that also certainly don't have ANYTHING to do with that. Maybe it permits to live, but there are definitely more important things, at least for me.
Also, the movie is just too typical, and even though I admire Mr. Smith's character's struggle to just get his son a life he wants him to give, it smells of that too well known, rancidly recycled American dream. Maybe it was a real story (what's real?) but don't you think they should have taken more care, for example, on the relationship between father and son; maybe wife too? It's so taken for granted... he's a good father, little child loves him, if only, oh poor him, he had a job. THEN EVERYTHING COULD START GETTING BETTER.
And that's the thing: It could. But so many times it doesn't. With a title like "The pursuit of happiness" one could only imagine so many things... maybe it could be more appropriately retitled "to start the pursuit of happiness". Yeah, we need money, arguably a job, but then? What? I admire the intention of saying "if you want it, go get it" - but it is dangerously close to a brainwashing video from a workplace with a capitalist philosophy doing heavy revisionism to get people to PRODUCE MORE!!! LOVE YOUR JOBS! MONEY IS GOOD! MONEY IS FREEDOM! MONEY IS HAPPINESS! ...
that's it, suffice is to say, i didn't exactly like it. Except when Will Smith cried... he's a good crier.
And Gabriele Muccino - if you read this: don't lose yourself on Hollywood, please.
Cheers