Amazing Performance by Will Smith

Rating: 7/10 (1 January 2007)

"Inspired by a true story" always makes me kind of nervous. It's as if the filmmakers are falling back on the fact that it's a true story, hoping that the truth of it will pull our heartstrings, rather than the actual story. The Pursuit of Happiness admittedly suffers from some of these weakness, but mostly overcomes them, particularly in the person of Will Smith, who delivers the best performance of his career.
Chris Gardner is a man who is struggling financially, because invested in bone density scanners that most doctors do not find to be too useful. He has a wife and kid, both of whom must deal with Chris's difficulties as he goes through life. One day he happens upon a man who is a stockbroker, who tells him that to make it in that field, he only needs to "be good with numbers, and be good with people." Soon after Chris pursues this career path, but he still must deal with his family's financial troubles, and selling the bone density scanners. The movie follows his struggles.
The story of Pursuit of Happiness is solid, but it feels kind of pointless. By the time the movie was over, I felt moved by Chris Gardner and his plight, but I wondered why someone had chosen to make a film of him. The end of the movie gave a couple of facts about how Gardner, the actual man, and it kind of justified why the story had been told, but ultimately, it failed to resonate. If a lesser talented actor had been in the role, it would have failed completely.
Will Smith's performance is breathtaking. He undoubtedly gives the best performance of his career, and it might even possibly be Oscar-worthy. I wouldn't be surprised if he was nominated, in any case. He fully inhabits his character and never once slips up. His tragedy feels very real, very present. Only because of him does this movie work. He brings out the best about the movie, and even if one thinks the rest of the movie is worthless, his performance alone is worth the price of a movie ticket.
I respect Will Smith. He went from being a rapper to being someone who will probably be nominated for an Oscar. This is a very difficult transition for a musical artist to make. He has even earned the respect of critics and audiences. Even if the story of Pursuit of Happiness is sub-par, it deserves praise for bringing out the best in Will Smith.