Depressing, but inspiring tale of hard work and dedication

Rating: 6/10 (14 April 2020)

The Pursuit of Happyness is a movie that tells a true story about the most difficult time in a man's life. His struggles are tough, and it's never what I'd describe as a fun film. I appreciate seeing how a man works through the dark times in order to come out in a better situation, because it shows the value of hard work and dedication. The power of all this is magnified, and the stakes are increased, because he is raising a child through it all. I was a little put off by the fact that he probably wasn't providing a better home for his son, and by all rights should have sent the son to live with his mother if she had a stable living situation. However, I do know it might have killed his determination and by letting the son go, he might have never seen him again. Also, many of the complaints that I would have about the actions taken by characters in the film have to be forgiven simply because this is all grounded in the real history of Chris Gardner. There is an authenticity to the story-telling here that reinforces the fact that it is a true story. While I'm sure they took some artistic license, it still felt grounded.
I'm on the fence about the narration in The Pursuit of Happyness. I almost feel like it should have been done by a third-party narrator, rather than Chris Gardner himself. Also, titling different parts of the film as though they were chapters in a book did nothing for me. However, I appreciate the shorthand they were able to achieve using narration. It could be hard to visually show some of the things that set the main character apart from the other interns, so explaining it in a couple of lines helps a lot. I think Will Smith delivers an amazing performance as Chris Gardner, and this is a difficult role to master with all the emotional beats in the film. But in my opinion, the entire movie is a bit too dour. I know the point is seeing the hard road taken to achieve success, but we get such a brief moment of joy, that it can be tough to wait until the movie gets there. I still appreciate The Pursuit of Happyness, though, because all the despair makes the ending that much more powerful, and it's hard not to cry. It's not exactly a movie I'll want to seek out for multiple re-watches, but it is a solid story.