Chris Gardner holds one of the best and most memorable rags to riches stories of all time. In 1981, he was evicted from his apartment in downtown San Francisco after his wife left him so he and his son were forced to live without a home. Through is own brilliance and motivation from his young son, Chris worked to become the top trainee at Dean Witter Reynolds. Through endless work, late nights, and hundreds of phone calls, he passed his licensing exam on his first attempt and became the sole trainee in his program to aquire permanent employment as a stockbroker in 1982. Chris is presently the CEO of his own firm and has become a millionaire.

Chris Gardner (Will Smith) can be described as brilliant and determined, but also very down on his luck. In order to make a living he sells bulky bone density scanners that doctors are almost always turning down because of their complications and that they are almost unecessary. In the evenings, Chris picks up his son, Christopher, Jr. at a daycare, “The Pursuit of Happyness,” in Chinatown. His son always greets him with burning questions about life in the universe and hopes that his father hasn’t returned with a scanner. Linda (Thandie Newton), his wife, loses faith in her husband everyday as a salesman and has only stayed with him because of their son. The financial pressure is eating at the family as the overdue rent screams in their heads and Chris’ car is towed because of parking violations. Linda’s paycheck is the only thing that keeps the family barely afloat, but in the end she calls it quits. Shortly after, Chris impresses the person in charge of the intern hiring process at Dean Witter Reynolds, he is arranged an interview. Now, Chris and his son must live on the streets of San Francisco without a dime, only hoping that he will be given a position at Dean Witter Reynolds.

Director Gabriele Muccino is not a director in which I am familiar. He is an acclaimed Italian Film Director, but gaining attention at the Sundance Film Festival he has transferred himself into the Hollywood Industry. His direction conveys a large sense of realism and does a fantastic job capturing the poverty and suffering in the large city of San Francisco (where the film was actually shot). His shots of the Smiths are arranged very tightly, also credit to cinematographer, Phedon Papamichael, depicting the closeness of father and son. He also well directs the scenes of Smith struggling to get the position at Dean Witter Reynolds, whether he’s nervous for his licensing exam or he’s nearly getting hit by a car trying to be on time. In my opinion, I am surprised that someone as new as he managed a large project with such large stars. But I also question, why hasn’t he directed a Hollywood film sooner?

Screenwriter Steven Conrad puts pen and paper together to pinpoint the problems in Pursuit. That is… from the actual Chris Gardner’s book on his experiences. The film is obviously a true story, but how many little bits and pieces here are true or written for the screen? I can’t tell you. Though most of the events are factual, he is skilled in writing, hearty, realistic dialogue. Steven Conrad (The Weatherman, one of my favorites of 2005) has a talent for writing incredibly realistic screenplays, though they are sometimes depressing (of course, that’s what gives them their realism).

Will Smith has been working in a Hollywood since the early 90’s and I was happy to see him land a role in which he might be nominated for an Oscar. And what do you know, Will Smith is nominated for Best Actor for his depiction of Chris Gardner in this film. You can clearly see in his performance that he knows this is an extremely important role for him, but also a great experience for him to share with his son. You will be truly moved by Will Smith’s performance whether he’s struggling with his son, or he’s applauding himself with tears in his eyes at the end of the film when he got the job, but also the on screen chemistry that he and his son have together. Jaden Smith is only eight years old, but he sure can outact many children in Hollywood these days. But the question is, was he acting or was he just happy to be his Dad? I imagine both.

There isn’t really anything else that can be said about the film. Everything intertwines so well from the performances, to the director, to everything else in the mix. It stands as an Oscar contender for best actor and very well deserves it. As surprised as I was when I heard it wasn’t nominated for best picture, it seems every year one film gets robbed. Last year it was Brokeback Mountain, this year it was Pursuit of Happyness. However, like Brokeback Mountain, this a film that will not be forgotten by anyone.

Rated PG-13 for some language.
Running time 117 minutes.