Pursuit of Happyness

[ExtremeSleuth]

I just got back from seeing it. It was pretty good. Not the greatest of the year. Will Smith really showed his acting talent in the film. I enjoyed his son a lot in the film as well. They really chalked this up as a tear jerker, and don't get me wrong, it is very sad what Chris Gardner went through, but it didn't really move me. The scene in the bathroom, when Chris Jr. says that his dad is "a good papa", and the end were basically it. It seemed a little slow at times as well. The movie overall was pretty enjoyable.

 

[ennfurno]

thought it was to slow myself

 

[spidey]

i enjoyed and it really hit home with my mother. she cried becuase she was like that at on point with my older brother when her husband a junkie up and left her. so she knew about all the trials of being like that able to keep moving foward. i enjoyed it feel good movie.

 

[Jon Starr]

I liked this movie. I really got into it and was one of the people hoping he'd repair that damn machine just so he could get some money...

I enjoyed it and I didn't have much respects for Will Smith's acting untill now.

 

[c.g._eads]

Will Smith did a good job. But Will Smith is a strange actor. Even when he does a great job, it's still impossible not to think of Will Smith. Other mega-stars can disappear into their roles. I don't think he's in that category.

The movie for me was an Almost. It was almost a good movie but ended up being average. I think the fault lies in the marketing campaign for me. The trailer and interviews made me believe this was a movie about a man who was homeless, caring for his son, who nabs one of the most difficult high-paying jobs out there -- a stockbroker. That to me is an AMAZING story. All I could think was, "How could anyone have pulled that off?" That's what made me want to see the movie.

***a little spoilerish below***

But in fact, he's not really homeless in the movie save for a scene or two. I understand the screenwriting aspect of this (if he starts off homeless, we have nowhere for him to go. He's already at his lowest point). But that's what I was expecting. A homeless man. Not a man who lives in an apartment, a hotel room, and a shelter. To me, he was never really THAT bad off. Add to that and he wasn't always homeless, but was actually fairly well-off at one point (albeit before the movie began), and it didn't ring as dramatic to me. I guess I expected someone who really had never been given a chance in life before, who was truly homeless, to get this job. Instead, it was the lite version of all those things.

I didn't regret watching it, but it was kind of forgettable.