ScreenSyndrome.com Review

Rating: Null/10 (24 December 2012)

Based on a true story about a man named Christopher Gardner set in 1981, Pursuit of Happiness is probably one of Will Smith's best performances, one that stands unique to the rest, and once again he shows us how powerful his acting ability can be, when accompanied with an incredible story. Written by Steve Conrad (WeatherMan, The Promotion), and directed by Gabriele Muccino (Seven Pounds), comes the story of a man struggling to make ends meet, in which almost every choice leads him down another road with a problem to solve and overcome, while maintaining the will and strength to never give up on what you want.
"Never let anyone tell you you can't do something. If you want something, go and get it". Chris Gardner (Will Smith) is full of wise wisdom, but sometimes is influenced on his own fears and inabilities that make him doubt, making it difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Chris is a struggling salesman who has invested his life's work in a medical device known as a "Bone Density scanner". Unfortunately, he has discovered that his investment is short lived as doctors describe the device as a "luxury" rather than a necessity. Gardner's wife (Jada Smith, Will Smith's wife) is completely irrational and clearly selfish, leaves him and their son to fend for their own, of course only after mocking and talking him down, as he tells her his dreams and his efforts of where he is trying to get. Eventually forced to live out in the streets with his son, Gardner takes an internship position at a Brokerage firm, in which he must work and train for 6 weeks without pay. We watch as Chris and his son struggle to deal with the tough times, racing to get in line for shelters, and rushing through work, while staying up nights on end studying and preparing for the finals, in which the company selects only ONE applicant out of 20.
While the movie is indeed filled with sadness and despair, there is a deeper yearning to see the beautiful pieces of work and storytelling in this film. I urge those who may be discouraged with sad tales, as *spoiler alert* things to end on a beautiful happy note.* The film not only exhibits extremely skilled acting and a wonderful storyline, but also is full of incredible cinematography work. Filmed by Phedon Papamichael (Director of Cinematography, Descendants, Walk the Line, Sideways) there is some amazing eye candy. The framing and the locations are incredibly well captured and add so much more to the flow and feel of the film. You will truly be immersed into this film, just remember, it's OK to cry a bit just close the blinds :p.
Untitled-2 On my "rating" scale, (this is totally just my opinion), but I put this in the Must Watch category, giving it a 5/5 for the quality in acting and storyline and the final product. Anyone who sees this film as weak, obviously has no heart, or cannot deal with such stories as they seem to think "this could never happen" or "this isn't real". On the contrary folks, this is based on a true story, and I bet it happens every day on various levels (perhaps not as large as a brokerage).
http://www.screensyndrome.com/pursuit-of-happ/