The Redemptive Power of Hard Work

Rating: Null/10 (17 December 2006)

If this were not a true story I would simply not believe it. There really is some truth in the old adage that truth is stranger than fiction, because if this were merely a Hollywood fictional rags to riches story, I'd have been yawning and looking at my watch after the first half hour, and the word cliché would feature large in this review. But how do you reasonably criticize something which is essentially fact? Put briefly, Chris Gardner survives a string of disasters (the demise of his business selling bone scanners, the loss of his disillusioned wife, becoming homeless and a single parent, broke and even at one point, a felon - after he is arrested for unpaid parking fines. A wonderful use of tax payers' money I'm sure, jailing people for unpaid parking tickets) to go on to become a multi millionaire stock broker and father extraordinaire, a cuddly capitalist, the epitome of The American Dream. As one disaster after another lays him low, his sheer tenacity keeps him going, to eventual financial salvation and professional success. It's a movie about the redemptive power of sheer hard work, politeness, honesty and love. And it also proves the relevance of another old adage  nothing ventured, nothing gained. Offered a chance to intern at a major broker, Chris grasps the opportunity, working his balls off despite the lack of regular salary, just on the slight hope that at the end of the internship he might be the one out of twenty hopefuls chosen for a proper job. But the movie doesn't actively ram anything political down the audience's throat, his ultimate success speaks for itself.
As the disasters in his life piled up, Chris' remarkable lack of cynicism had this viewer shaking her head in disbelief. But you have to take this movie at face value and accept that there really are people around as remarkable as Chris Gardner. I'm going to take this movie totally on trust and assume the story hasn't been prettied up too much for the screen. If it really can be taken at face value, then I find it rather reassuring that the Chris Gardners of this world can succeed. Resourceful and dogged in his pursuit of success as well as happ(y)ness, he never resorts to self pity even at the lowest points (sleeping in a public toilet, bathing his son in a sink at a homeless shelter.) And like any parent under stress he occasionally cracks and loses his temper with his vulnerable young son, but as a good parent he pulls himself together and shields the child as much as he can.
Will Smith is remarkable in this movie. I've always liked the guy, who seems affable and clever, but this movie proves that he is an excellent actor. It's a very honest and engaging performance which draws even the most cynical of viewers in completely. I thought it was a terrific performance. Also remarkable is Smith's real-life son Jaden Smith playing his son in the movie. The child is just wonderful.
It looks as if most of this movie was made on location in San Francisco, and I thought the cinematography as excellent. The location shooting worked well to give the film an authentic feel, with mostly natural light, suitably grimy exteriors etc.
One small gripe; the sound track. Intrusive sound tracks are really becoming one of my bêtes noir. Just at a moment when everything seems blackest for Chris, and we wonder if he can possibly keep going, a bright, zippy, zingy little piece of music intrudes so we know in advance that everything is going to be OK. This drives me nuts, and in this movie, it ruins several moments of tension, signalling as it does, an upbeat outcome in advance of the resolution. A movie should succeed or fail on the basis of its performances and its writing, and the performances and writing here are very good. Good enough to carry the dramatic moments of the movie without advance guidance from the music. But overall  a pretty fair Friday Night Movie.