pursuit of happyness
How do you tell the story of a man who went from nothing to millions without being absurd or going over the top or sounding preachy? You make a film like this.
I’m not usually one for disney-esque movies. I watch them, but I rarely end up enjoying them after it’s said and done. they’re preposterous in most cases and the rest are just too childish for me to regard them as top cinema. But I’m not a snob and, as most know, I’m not one to turn down watching a movie; especially one nominated for a globe. So I went and saw it, and here’s how it turned out.
The story is just what it needed to be and nothing more. Something i was surprised, but impressed by. Some may see this as unsatisfying, but i think any other snapshot into his life, or a longer timeline would have been akin to stabbing yourself in the leg << see talladega nights >>. It follows Gardner from poor to employed with a dip into homelessness that everyone’s seen clips off unless they’re chilling under various stone formations.
The acting is top shelf. I’m in favor of Smith in most cases and this one is close to the top of the list. His range is like I’ve never seen from him. I’m perpetually disappointed in child actors, but mini-Smith did well << granted his character wasn't very far for him to go >>. The secondary characters were typical instead of the typical robotic-anti-main-character-achieving that tends to fill your usual epic-rise-to-the-top style movies. They showed compassion and helped Gardner through his struggle to better himself.
Overall it doesn’t overplay the challenges he faced and could be very close to the reality of his situation so i have no major objections. Not the sort of film i usually give quality marks too, but Smith’s performance is so strong and the screenplay so smartly done i have to give it major credit.
****