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TITLE: |
The Pursuit of Happyness |
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RATED: |
PG13 |
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RELEASE DATE: |
Friday Dec 15th, 2006 |
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PRODUCTION CO: |
Sahamongkolfilm Co. Ltd. (Distributor: Dragon Dynasty) |
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BUDGET: |
$? |
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DIRECTOR: |
Gabriele Muccino (The Last Kiss) |
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PRODUCER: |
Todd Black (The Weather Man, Antwone Fisher), Jason Blumenthal (The Weather Man, Alex and Emma), James Lassiter (Hitch, I Robot), Will Smith (ATL, Hitch), Steve Tisch (The Weather Man, Forrest Gump), Teddy Zee (Hitch) |
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WRITER: |
Steve Conrad (The Weather Man) |
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STARRING: |
Will Smith – Chris Gardner (Independence Day, Hithch, Bad Boys) |
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Thandy Newton – Linda (Crash, Imagine Me & You) |
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REVIEW: |
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Pursuit of Happyness stars Will Smith . . . or, as Michael Richards sometimes refers to him . . . The Fresh Prince, of course!
This movie is based an the true life events of Chris Gardner (played by Will Smith) back in 1981. Chris was a normal guying trying to make ends meet by selling bone scanning equipment to doctors. His wife (played by Thandy Newton) was loosing faith in him that he could make a living and left him when he decided to try to pursue a new career of being a stock broker – that makes no money until you prove yourself. Left to raise his 5 year old son (played by Will Smith’s real life son), they are faced with hardship. They end up homeless for a while on their journey to a much, much better life.
Pursuit of Happyness is definitely a “feel good” story with a great message about determination, values, and keeping your priorities straight. Unfortunately, though, the story is not told especially well. While Will Smith and son Jaden deliver solid performances, the movie’s plot is just too “Hollywood-ized” in that some aspects of the story seem softened to remain audience-friendly, while other aspects seem exaggerated to generate tension and excitement . . . to the point that this true story doesn’t really ring true onscreen. Nonetheless, some may very well find its heartwarming message too important and endearing to miss.
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MOVIE NIGHT TRAFFIC LIGHT: |
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On the Movie Night Traffic Light on a scale of GREEN meaning “Go – it’s a must see”, YELLOW meaning “Caution – it’s okay” and RED meaning “No - stop don’t do it."
We rate The Pursuit of Happyness YELLOW. Caution – this does have some great messages, but the way the story is told, it’s just okay. |
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