The Pursuit of Happyness

Films that truly inspire are a dime a dozen these days. Modern movies are far too interested in scaring us, depressing us or this year, just boring us to sleep.

The last film I saw which genuinely inspired me was Good Night and Good Luck. It wasn't the best film of the year, in fact it was a flawed one, but it's combination of subdued stoicism and admirable integrity managed to work its magic on me. It also helped that it wasn't a film which set out solely to inspire the masses.

Which brings me to The Pursuit of Happyness (no it's not a typo although writing it does make the speller in me cringe). The movie is 'inspired by a true story', which tends to translate to a number of dramatic liberties being taken. It takes place in 1981 and tells of Chris Gardner (Will Smith), a salesman who is working hard but not reaping the benefits. While his wife Linda (Thandie Newton) works split shifts, Chris tries and fails to sell useless medical equipment in an attempt to provide for his 5-year-old son.

When his wife finally grows tired of Chris' failings, she moves away to New York, leaving Chris to look after their son. With little money, Chris starts to hunt down a new job as a stockbroker. But it involves an internship with no salary. Chris makes a decision to pursue it, for better or worse. Even as they find themselves without any money or place to live, Chris is intent on achieving his new dream.

The film is a hark back to movies such as Kramer Vs Kramer where we get to see a box-office heavyweight play a real father in a real setting. The odds are stacked against Gardner and we're taken along with him on his downward spiral as he becomes penniless and homeless, all the while trying to maintain a stable front at his internship. An internship where only one out of 20 people gets picked.

Now while I mentioned a movie previously that was inspirational through subtlety, the filmmakers behind The Pursuit of Happyness seem to be working on the 'you will be inspired, whether you like it or not' method. Chris Gardner's story IS inspirational, the score IS uplifting and if you're not crying by the time the credits have rolled then you're a heartless bastard who won't be getting anything for Christmas.

The morals of the film are presented to us in a completely black and white manner – society is bad and Chris is good. But for me, there were a number of nagging questions which remained throughout. Why does Chris never once take any responsibility for any of his troubles? He made a dumb investment on equipment which he cannot sell – his fault. He never paid any taxes so the

money gets taken from him – his fault. He parks in illegal spots so his car is towed away – his fault. But throughout he is convinced it's society who is to blame.

Why doesn't Chris just get a regular job to support his kid? Chris is focused on this unpaid internship all because he was tempted by owning a flashy car. The chances of him succeeding are slim and the lack of payment means he is broke. He could easily work in a store or a restaurant but even when he is forced to sleep in a public bathroom with his 5-year-old son, he still pursues this 'dream'. One which he's only had for a couple of weeks.

Although he is presented as the lovable everyman who just keeps getting the rough end of the deal, beneath the surface he's a deeply flawed character. But, instead of exploring these flaws, the film would rather gloss over them and fill the gaps with sugar. Diabetics be warned.

Similarly his wife is painted in equally broad strokes as an unlikeable figure. Yet her frustration at working so hard while her husband flounders is one that is easy to sympathize with. In Kramer Vs Kramer, the role played by Meryl Streep had a similar arc, in that she leaves her husband and child. But that film managed to evoke more than just hatred for a character who would do such a terrible thing. The Pursuit of Happyness is content to leave things as simple as they can possibly be.

It's not a bad movie, it's just one which feels incredibly near-sighted. It's impossible to not watch and get somewhat drawn to what happens to Chris and his son but it's also impossible to be surprised about anything that happens. It's never a question as to where we will end up. It's just a question as to how many times we can watch the same situation being regurgitated before everything gets neatly tied up by the end.

Will Smith gives a committed if unspectacular performance. It's a role which once again relies on charm and is rather one-dimensional. His son is played by his real-life son Jaden Smith and he's surprisingly not as cloying as one would expect. The combination of offscreen family playing onscreen family sounds terribly contrived but it emerges as one of the film's strong points. Although 7-year-old Smith Jr is by far the least convincing 5-year-old imaginable.

Gardner’s story is an impressive one but it’s not impressive enough to sustain a 2 hour movie. In the holiday season, a film such as this is sure to win over some of the easily pleased crowds. It's tale of strength against adversity will appeal to many. But when it's really examined there aren't really enough odds for our hero to overcome. At least not many that aren't all self-inflicted. If the

film had dared to examine the character more fully and show him in a more ambiguous light then it would have made the proceedings far more interesting.

Without this, it's a TV movie. A superior TV movie, but a TV movie nonetheless.

Movie Grade: C

Synopsis:

A struggling salesman (Will Smith) takes custody of his son (Jaden Smith) as he’s poised to begin a life-changing professional endeavor.