|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Pursuit of Happyness By Kat Vossler  |
| |
 Approaching the age of 40, Will Smith is hitting his stride in acting. Picking the right movie roles now (remember Wild Wild West), Smith makes acting look better than easy – he makes it look natural. His son, Jayden Smith, inherited his father’s talent at the age of eight.
The Pursuit of Happyness (intentionally misspelled) is the true story of Chris Gardner (Will Smith), a struggling salesman of bone density scanners, trying to get out of poverty and into stockbroker internship. His wife, Linda (Thandie Newton), works double shifts to help support their son, Christopher (Jayden Smith). With no money, Linda moves out and Chris supports their son on the little that he has.
The movie plays out a series of events that would have most given up (or have most believed that they would give up). It’s touching to see that Chris faces his troubles head on, doesn’t complain about his misfortune and still manages to be a great father. It’s more touching to know that this is not a movie script – it’s based on an actual man.
My major gripe with this movie was that Chris didn’t seem to be pursuing happiness. Instead, he seemed to be pursuing a paycheck, equivocating money and happiness. It’s understandable that you need a certain amount of money to pay bills, taxes and groceries for survival. However, Chris was pursuing more than money just to make ends meet, he was ready to make top dollar.
The movie also failed to touch on the fact that once Chris Gardner was able to support himself that he donates to charities, educational organizations and is a board member of the National Fatherhood initiative. Where is reflection of Chris Gardner giving back to his community?
On a smaller note, I was also slightly disappointed that Will Smith’s narration briefly mentioned the origin of the phrase, “the pursuit of happiness,” which is quoted from Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence. He failed to go into the actual origin, citing John Locke’s writings (“life, liberty, and estate”) and that Jefferson took the original quote and altered it to give citizens their basic human rights. This clarification could have quickly given the film more depth.
The Pursuit of Happyness is a great rental if you’re looking for an interesting story. Get comfortable when you’re watching this because the movie is about two hours long. Watching Chris leap through hoops can get exhausting and sometimes depressing for the audience. However, comedic points get you through to the end. The Pursuit of Happyness is rated PG-13 for adult language, profanity, and adult situations.
Chris Gardner – the man – wrote his biography The Pursuit of Happyness, and it became a New York Times bestseller. For more information, visit www.chrisgardnermedia.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|