Published: January 02, 2007 08:28 am      

Will Smith shines in his “Pursuit of Happyness”

There are always a few feelings or afterthoughts lingering after I take in a movie. Whether it’s feeling a twinge of sadness, humor or even disgust, there’s always something to consider after watching a film.

However, “The Pursuit of Happyness” left me with a different feeling. One that resembled more emotional exhaustion than anything else.

“The Pursuit of Happyness,” based on the real-life account of Chris Gardner, documents a single father’s struggle to make ends meet for himself and his 5-year-old son while pursuing a dream that would propel them from their pauper-like lifestyle.

Door-to-door salesman Chris Gardner (Will Smith) and wife Linda (Thandie Newton) are finding it hard to survive in 1981 San Francisco. Their meager lives are slowly collapsing, and their 5-year old son, Christopher (Played by Smith’s son, Jaden), isn’t receiving the sort of education Chris would like for his son. When Chris hits a dry spell in selling overpriced bone-density scanners to doctors around the Bay area, Linda packs up and heads to New York, leaving Chris and Christopher behind.

With little resources and facing a plethora of mounting bills, Chris takes a chance on scoring an internship at a prestigious brokerage firm, which may or may not hire him at the end of the six-month, pay-free trial.

As Chris struggles to make his dream of becoming a stockbroker a reality, he also faces many other hardships, including at one point, being evicted from his home and having to spend a night with his son in a subway bathroom.

But perseverance and determination drive Chris through the negatives and wrap the 117 minute film up neatly with a not-so surprising ending. While not surprising, the ending is definitely deserved.

Smith gives Chris a drive to be the best in such a way that one actually cares about the character and wants to see him succeed. Unlike most movies where the lead is generally a person one doesn’t consider one way or the other, Smith portrays Chris in such a manner that it’s almost sometimes too painful to watch Chris go through all of the setbacks he encounters as he tries to better his life for his son.

Casting Smith’s actual son was a good move. Their natural father/son relationship plays out well on the big screen and never falters.

“The Pursuit of Happyness” is definitely a film everyone should at least watch once. It shows that, no matter what the odds or difficulties are while reaching for a dream, they can be overcome.

“The Pursuit of Happyness” is rated PG-13 for some language. Runtime is 117 minutes.