The Pursuit of Capitalysm

Rating: Null/10 (21 March 2007)

"Happiness" is equated with being a successful capitalist. The film is as narrow-minded as its protagonist. Why is life so extraordinarily difficult? This is is not explored. Are there other alternatives to the life he has chosen? Not at all. Will Smith's performance is the only thing holding this tacky film together. He is a two-dimensional man in a one-dimensional world. Remove the cohesion of his performance and the film becomes a series of set-pieces on overcoming adversity. The film is called The Pursuit of Happiness when what he is actually pursuing is a job, which in the film brings him nothing but misery and difficulty. The misspelling of "happyness" comes from a mural on his son's kindergarten wall. Ironically, the only thing resembling "happyness" in the film is the man's relationship with his son, which is strong and intimate throughout, not something he really needs to pursue. Are the filmmakers aware of this irony? It seems unlikely, considering the film's thesis is: work incomprehensibly hard and maybe you will get a job in which you have to work equally hard for the rest of your life. The perfect anti-capitalist weapon for those able to stand outside of the film's emotional manipulation. For those who buy the emotion wholesale, they are given no reason to do other than continue their pursuit of happiness without actually being able to enjoy it. Because life doesn't have a "happily ever after".