(no it’s not a typo, happiness is spelled with a ‘y’ significant to a moment in the movie.) This is a story in which Will Smith plays a homeless, single, parent and you think to yourself “The Pursuit of Happyness” feels more like the Pursuit of Ridiculous. That’s because his character, Chris Gardner, a medical salesman, loses his job, loses his wife, and then takes an intership (that means without a paycheck) at Dean Witter in hopes of someday being recognized as a broker, only to end up living in the bathroom of the train station with his son Christopher (real life son Jaden Smith). Why not just get a job at a Burger King to pay the rent? I never care about this character, even though it’s based on a true life story, and that’s because there isn’t enough story to make a two hour movie or enough of the sacrifice a real parent this broke would make. There’s no competition in the workplace, no love life interest, only the street bums who steal his medical machine (the very one he’s a part time salesman for) as he floats around doing what he wants to do, instead of what he should do: Feed his child and give him a home. Not your typical Will Smith flick either though both father and son are a fantastic acting dual. I’m sure this won’t be the last time we see them even if the movie fails. Two tiaras.
