Inspired by the true story of an ambitious man in 1980s San Francisco who took big risks to get a job as a broker, Gabriele Muccino's The Pursuit of Happyness stars Will Smith as Chris Gardner, who's gotten himself into such financial trouble that his long-suffering wife has to work double shifts to support them both and their adorable little boy (Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, the star's real-life son). After bumping into a well-off broker, Chris applies for an unpaid internship at a brokerage in the hopes that it will lead to a full-time position, but when his wife leaves, father and son are forced to survive on the streets until Chris' dream comes true. At the center of the film is the affectionate relationship between father and son (and, not surprisingly, the leads work beautifully together); unfortunately, however, The Pursuit of Happyness wants to have too many things too many ways. It asks us to believe in Chris' absolute devotion to his son while ignoring the dubious situations into which he places the both of them, and also tries to make us feel sorry for people thrown onto the streets by Reaganomics while cheering on Chris' determination to join the moneyed class. Of course, many viewers will be plenty happy just watching the Oscar-nominated Smith playing a scrappy dad juggling his responsibilities to his darling son with his drive to succeed. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Gabriele Muccino; the production featurettes “Making Pursuit: An Italian Take on the American Dream” (18 min.), “The Man Behind the Movie: A Conversation with Chris Gardner” (13 min.) on the author, “Father and Son: On Screen and Off” (8 min.) on stars Will and Jaden Smith, and “Inside the Rubik's Cube” (7 min.); an audio-only performance of the song “I Can,” featuring Bebe Winans and Dave Koz; and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a sappy film that nevertheless features a strong central performance from the Oscar-nominated Will Smith.] (F. Swietek)
The Pursuit of Happyness
Sony, 117 min., PG-13, DVD: $28.95, Mar. 27 Volume 22, Issue 2
The Pursuit of Happyness
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