Much More Than I Expected.

Rating: 8/10 (3 January 2007)

Seeing the pain in Will Smith as he jockeys for position in a dead-end world is certainly worth the price of admission. This is the tale of a man who has been dealt a bad hand by life, but has never had the courage to start over. He goes from hospital to clinic, trying to sell a bone density scanner that really offers little new to the science of diagnosis. When he ends up as sole support of his little boy, he must change his life. He has seen the happy faces of stock brokers leaving their jobs with smiles on their faces, he decides this is what he would like to do. He has an amazing mind for mathematics and feels he can parlay this gift into a career. The problem is he must continue to eat and find a place to live. There are times when things get maudlin and a bit far fetched, but it does grab at the heartstrings and does present a man who faces off against forces we've all dealt with. It's an unfair world and the haves really become obvious to the have-nots.
The acting is superb and overcomes the the plot's weaknesses. Smith's young son is a quite a charmer. He is at times bullheaded and immovable. At times he's a bit too good to be true. It's a very nice movie overall, with a good message. Maybe that's all it should aspire to be.