The Pursuit of Happyness

 

I didn't quite know what to expect when I first entered the cinema. I'd seen the trailer, and heard the word that it was good, but still wasn't sure.I really enjoyed this film though, we all knew how it would turn out before the movie began, but this movie was about the journey getting there, not the goal itself. The ups and downs of Will Smith's character, Chris Gardner, struggling with staying on his feet and taking care of his son, Christopher, it was very well told.
It was so hard to think that this was the same Will Smith that was in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and the "Men in Black" movies. He's really grown as an actor, and out of the films I've seen him in I have to say that it's his best role to date. I really enjoyed his work in this film, it was very subtle, he seemed so at ease playing this man.
Christopher is portrayed by Will Smith's real life son; Jaden Smith, who I also thought did a very good job. The way they played together kind of reminded me of "Danny the Champion of the World" and how Jeremy Irons and Samuel Irons worked together in that film. It was a joy to watch. With the proper support Jaden Smith could make a good career for himself. I have to admit I was very curious about how he would do, and if it was just nepotism that had won him the role. As far as I'm concerned Jaden Smith was a great choice for the part.

The film got to me, it made me think, consider how people have the drive to fight if they have the right motivation. Everything Chris did was to make things better for his son. The drive humans posess can be a remarkable thing.

Some people might find the pace of the film a bit slow, but I actually felt it was a really nice change of pace compared to the other thing's I've been watching lately.

This one will end up in my DVD collection at some point.

The trailer for those of you that are curious: