Will Smith and Will Smith Jr. propel this dismal tale of poverty full of gritty realism but an overload of drama

Rating: 7/10 (24 January 2007)

Watching the Pursuit of Happiness, we were looking for the main character's pursuit of happiness as well. In other words, this is a very harsh film, very brutal in terms of reality and the way life is without the luxury of money. Thanks to a stellar cast, good direction, and a nice script, The Pursuit of Happiness is a good film that is hard to look at just because it's so tough, its so hard to see. This trait serves as a double-edged sword, as the realities need to be displayed on movie screens more often, but it comes at you so often that it becomes harder and harder to watch, and it drags a bit in certain moments. Nonetheless, this is a must-see for anyone that needs a little inspiration, of for anyone that might be taking their life for granted.
The Pursuit of Happiness follows the gloomy life of Chris Gardner, a struggling salesman losing money, and losing the respect and the love of his wife, while at the same time worrying about the future of his son. He is forced to move constantly, at times doesn't even know if he'll have a home in the evening, all in the meantime he is trying to sell dated products and also attempt to become a stockbroker. With the odds against him, Chris fights for his pursuit of a good life for him and his son.
The best part of the movie comes from the writing. The writing team crafts a script in which it showcases the true, true victim of the story; not the main character Chris, but his son. Chris' son, named Christopher, is shown as the one that suffers the most, as his future is seen in jeopardy, his mental and emotional status at the brink of destruction, and hope in his life fading away very quickly. Steve Conrad's script also displays that it wasn't just the world ganging up on Chris, but Chris making bad decisions as well. Last but not least, it's not a bitter social commentary with hidden propaganda; people are poor and starving for a reason, and the rich are enjoying the fruits of life for a reason. Chris soon realizes that pursuing happiness relies on constant determination and maintaining optimism.
Will Smith delivers his best performance of his entire career as the under pressure father. Already proving himself in action, comedy, and romantic movies; Smith surprises with a heartbreaking and emotionally-moving portrayal of Chris Gardner. His excellent chemistry with his on-screen son can be traced to the fact that it's his real-life son, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, who also gives a decent performance for a first-timer. Unfortunately though, acting isn't consistently great, as the wife, Thandie Newton, gives us a very mediocre presentation. One nice surprise is Homer Simpson acting; Dan Castellaneta has a role as Alan Frakesh, one of the big boys of the company Chris is trying to work for.
This film's biggest strength also turns into its biggest weakness. While it is indeed incredibly realistic and can perfectly tear out your heart, the barrage of unfortunate events just continues piling up. Then, with a running time of almost two hours, it starts to drag and can hurl people towards immediate depression. Humans can only take so much bad news at one sitting before reaching for a sharp object. To top it all off after so much drama, sad, tear-jerking moments, and instances that force you to wipe the tears from your face; the movie is over. When the opening credits last longer than the conclusion, we have a major problem.
Bottom Line: Excellent script and good acting is barred by poor editing, a long running time, and an ending that comes almost at the blink of an eye. Will Smith gives the performance of a lifetime, his son excels as well, but the story is far too sad to be inspirational, which is what Smith and his cast was not aiming for. Kudos for the tough, edgy look at the homeless life, but with a third act that was dragging, the appeal starts wearing off. Cutting the length, leaving out some of the bad events from the movie entirely would have improved the film, and made it a bit more motivating. Advertised as a dramedy, and comes off more as a gloomy drama than anything else; which is both a good and a bad thing. The Pursuit of Happiness: A story that isn't life-changing, but is a decent example as to what can happen to your life with a bit of effort and perseverance.