"The Pursuit of Happyness": Realizing the American Dream Can Come True

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) is a movie that makes you believe in the American spirit. Think about the title. The pursuit is something every American can dream about, so it's reassuring to know it's possible in this biography. Read here for the review! Spoilers may follow.

Will Smith gives a thrilling Oscar-nominated performance of the real-life Chris Gardner. This film follows the struggles he faced raising his son alone while trying to stay afloat. Disclaimer. Gardner is a bit unembellished for the story's sake on his tragic flaws (as in some flaws aren't shown). Also, his real son, Jaden Smith, plays the son in the movie. With your dad as Will Smith, you were bound to be able to perform well, and he did.

This movie depicts the hardships of homelessness. He has to keep his son safe too. Their whole future hangs on his internship at a brokerage firm. He runs into one obstacle after another, but he doesn't give up. They have to fight for a spot at the homeless shelter among other things. In one scene, Gardner plays pretend with his son that they were transported to the dinosaur days. This is so they can spend the night in a subway bathroom while keeping his child happy. Someone continually attempts to get inside, so the tension is high.

Essentially, it's a happy film that was hiding as a sad one. The message is great, and critics who didn't like the film for that reason alone are lost. My movie rating is A-.