THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS : Transcends The Dangerously Sappy Formula With Genuine Emotion...

Rating: 7/10 (9 January 2007)

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
Going into a film like THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS, the audience can basically assume that in the end, that happ"y"ness will be found in the end... leading to a tear-jerking finale of overwhelming emotion. As one would expect, that's exactly how THE PURSUIT OF Happiness ends, but even though there is virtually no level of surprise, this Will Smith vehicle somehow manages to stand above similarly themed sap-fests.
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS tells the true story of Christopher Garndener (played by Will Smith in a very touching performance), a down-on-his luck salesman who finds himself raising his son on his own in the hardest of financial times. In an attempt to make life better for himself and his young son (played by Smith's real life son Jaden), Chris embarks on a demanding internship at the firm Dean & Whitter. It's an unpaid position with no promise of a job afterwords, but Gardener sees it as his only choice and despite being homeless and broke, he carries out the internship with determination to be the one man chosen for a job with the firm.
The movie follows a very conventional format, but it does so in a refreshingly unconventional manner. Gabrielle Muccino, the film's director, embraces a grittier look for the film and wisely chooses to not emphasize the emotions at every possible moment. Too often a film like this seems to be gunning for tears from it's audience at every possible moment, but Muccino shows genuine restraint and instead lets the drama play out very naturally.
Many times throughout the movie, it seemed impossible how difficult this poor mans life... and knowing that this actually happened to someone makes the film all the more powerful. Will Smith grounds the familiar story with a quiet, humble, and stoic determination to succeed that is only overshadowed by a love for his son. Smith conveys the conflicting feelings of love, failure, stress, and anger without ever losing the gentle hearted soul that makes Christopher Gardener. One of my largest reservations about the film was the casting of Smith's real-life son, however it turns out to be a very wise choice. Jaden Smith is so at ease acting opposite his father that he succeeds in avoiding the cloyingly annoying sweetness of most child actors. It's a very natural relationship between the two that works very well.
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS transcends it's conventionally inspirational story by taking many unconventional approaches as mentioned above. However, there are a few moments that stand out as slightly manipulative... in particular, a sequence in which Smith and his son spend a night in a subway pretending to hide from Dinosaurs. However, in a genre that is usually overflowing with sap, THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS makes it through the majority of its 2 hour running time without overdoing it. For that, THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS exceeded my expectations, and Smith's performance is deserving of award-consideration at year's end.
... B+ ...