Now THIS is a 'true underdog story'

Rating: 7/10 (28 January 2007)

And, as such, it follows the basic guidelines of the arduous journey from misery to happiness. This type of formula is typically very thankful to translate to film, easy to make and ready to be milked for sentimentality for all its worth', which director Gabriele Muccino dutifully does. That is not to say 'The Pursuit of Happiness' does not deliver what it set out to do, for it wholeheartedly does and then some.
Based on a true story, the pursuit of one man to reach the American Dream in San Francisco in 1981 tells the cloying story of Chris Gardner (Will Smith) and his son (Jaden Smith) living in shelters, spending nights on paper towels in run-down, seedy public bathrooms and generally suffering daily hardships by the bucketload. Chris is a good man, but his wife (Thandie Newton) cannot cope with his empty promises and economic struggles, so she splits and takes off to New York City. Now Chris is left with their five-year-old son and an unpaid internship at a prestigious stockbroker's firm. You will be pressed to find a more likable character in film this year, and Will Smith plays him until your heart really breaks for him.
But in my opinion, this is no breakout "epiphany" role for Will Smith. The truth is that he has always been a strongly capable actor, although it is of course usually within the comedy field. In the comic moments of the film (and there are definitely quite a few), his funny bone translates excellently. In the drama side of the tapestry, he performs well enough  but it is a thankful, rewarding character to portray, much like 'The Pursuit' is a thankful, rewarding film to make owing to its underdog formula. It is, in this way, the type of film that safely elicits a few tears, chuckles and smiles but ultimately offers no revolutionary insight or social commentary in the way that The Great Gatsby aptly addressed the fickleness and simultaneous necessity of the American Dream.
The real treat is possibly Jaden Smith as little Christopher, and it becomes apparent that either the Smiths have groomed this kid for low-key, understated acting from a young age or that he is a true natural talent  or both. Perhaps his performance is nothing mind-blowing, but it is so rare for child actors to perform this subtly. Usually they fall prey to desperately cutesy or annoying antics, but Jaden Smith does not. "Simpsons" staple Dan Castellaneta also chips in aptly as a mentor at work of sorts.
If I have been too unclear or critical so far, let me say that I enjoyed this film immensely as a diversion. This does not change the fact that it is trafficking too heavily in stereotypes and Hallmark staples such as "Don't ever let anybody tell you that you can't do something" (yes, Will Smith actually says this at one point) or that it rigorously rubs Chris' misery in our faces in every step of the way, even though we clearly got the gist of his miserable conditions early on in the film. It's almost shamelessly cuing viewers in to feel by unpaid parking tickets, taxes, homelessness and a leaving wife to top it off. The fact is that the film expertly camouflages most of its shortcomings and the end result is even, solid and compelling.
'The Pursuit of Happiness' emerges as a safe but inspirational tale that is undeniably readily-molded for both public praise and Oscar buzz. It is difficult NOT to like a film like this, and the pursuit is no exception at all.
7 out of 10