Smith breathes life into his film in a way few actors have this year, though ultimately this is a predictable pursuit

Rating: 6/10 (20 December 2006)

When a big, likable star goes "serious," it seems that everyone must pay attention. This is the case with "The Pursuit of Happiness," (yes, "Happiness" with a "y") where box office superstar Will Smith ditches the action hero get-up and the comedic angle of "Hitch" for a serious turn as a real person. Due mostly to his superstardom and the fact that he hasn't tapped into this kind of role (or at least not recently), Smith is getting early awards attention for his role, as distributor Sony is pulling out all the stops to assure the star his second nod (following his revelatory turn as Muhammad Ali in Michael Mann's engaging but overstuffed 2001 biopic "Ali"), and Oprah Winfrey has also jumped on board in support of the star.
In spite of the movie's insane predictability, Will Smith makes the whole ordeal work. His on-screen charisma and likability add to a performance that shows his entire range as a dramatic actor, which was unknown in his previous roles. He carries the movie from start-to-finish, successfully giving the audience a likable hero to cheer for. It's certainly a powerhouse performance, and he pulls it off convincingly enough for the movie to click. It's really Smith's movie, and he ends up doing a lot with it. While it's not his best role (a title that still goes to his portrayal of Muhammad Ali), it's certainly among the top of his career. As far as effort and skill goes, this is arguably Smith's most ambitious turn to date, and he is in every way the movie's "MVP." The decision to cast his son Jaden as Gardner's son in the film was very wise, as the two have perfect chemistry, believably playing out the father-son relationship. Sadly, the rest of the cast is flat, even the usually dependable Thandie Newton, who is annoying and somewhat miscast as Gardner's wife.
As was said before, it's Smith's performance that carries the movie, elevating it from average mediocrity and making its flaws less visible. The script gives way to strong material for Smith, but not really for anyone else. To be honest, the rest of the characters seem like the kinds that are just randomly tossed into the film for filler purposes. The film also spends so much time on Gardner's personal conflicts that there's never really much insight on what he had to do to get the job. The audience is supposed to take the Dean Witter big-wigs at their word that Chris is diligent and- more importantly- the best choice for the job, as there is very little time spent on what he must do to earn the job. The musical score is also overly obvious and derivative, and it ends up getting in the way of important scenes. (For example, an inspirational tune plays in the background while Gardner advises his son to "never let anyone tell him he can't do something").
The one thing that "The Pursuit of Happiness" sadly cannot be redeemed for is its constant predictability. Though it has to be expected (if the movie didn't end like about nine out of ten people who will see this movie think it will, there would be no reason for its existence), there isn't a whole lot in the film that cannot be seen coming from a mile away. Though the real Chris Gardner's story is uplifting and inspirational, it- like all such stories- doesn't transfer over to celluloid as well as it sounds when told in the form of a book or a news segment. Granted, it's not as annoying or tedious as other such "triumph of the human spirit" films, but anyone who sees the film will pretty much know what to get going in. It helps that it's easy to feel good for Gardner given his reasons for what he does and that he achieves it not only for himself, but for his son. However, that still doesn't change the fact that it seems to load up on the clichés and provide very few surprises, though it still somehow manages to stay likable and appealing in spite of its flaws.
For the most part, "Pursuit of Happiness" clicks. After it's past the 45-minute mark, it moves quickly and is an appealing, mildly uplifting movie, though the ending is abrupt and it takes a while to really get going. It's being sold as a "feel-good film," and though the movie tries its hardest to depress the audience for the first 105 minutes before lifting its spirits in the last five, it's a safe bet that audiences will walk out feeling good for what Gardner has achieved. Though it's not really anything special, Will Smith does a very nice job, and as such, single-handedly makes it a reasonably good way to spend two hours. Essentially, Smith takes his trademark life and breathes it into the film in a way that few (if any) actors have managed to accomplish this year. For that- if nothing else- "The Pursuit of Happiness" is worth a look.
Review by W. Slinger, written for film site www.boxofficefanatic.com