Successful People Will Love It; Failures Will Resent It

Rating: 9/10 (5 February 2008)

I have been running businesses for over 25 years now, and until today I never formally recommended that employees see a movie.
This is the story of anyone who has had to overcome great obstacles to achieve success in the US. For some of us, it is a medical limitation; for others, family situations. Chris Gardner dealt with his obstacles without ever losing his optimism. He never whined or asked for special treatment. He never played on his race. He got up ever morning and did what he had to do to improve his family's lot in life. And, in real life, he succeeded.
Now some have knocked this movie because it exemplified to them our American need to achieve success through career and money. I say those people never had either. Life's failures will look at this movie and see that they didn't have Chris' drive or brains. They gave up their dreams for far less imposing obstacles.
Finally, I find it interesting that this movie was not one of those shown to schoolchildren, whereas "victims" movies like GREAT DEBATERS and even SCHINDLER'S LIST were. Gardner never allowed himself to become a victim, not even in his own head. That's the lesson that inner city kids need to learn, not more victimization.