The Pursuit of Happyness Movie Review

Tonight, I went over to the new Bridgeport Village shopping center and saw The Pursuit of Happyness, a movie that received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Drama (from Will Smith) before it was even released. That said something to me. That theater is pretty darn nice too, and if you have a chance, try and catch a movie there sometime. So, to the movie.

Will Smith was great in this film. This is the best job I've seen him do since Ali, and it probably tops that. This role asked a lot from him, but he came through on it and delivered a pretty darn moving performance. It might not be enough to win awards, but it was good either way. His son in the movie, played by his actual son, also was great. Naturally, their dynamic was great, and since it was basically a father-son relationship-focused movie, that really helped it. Unfortunately, that just wasn't enough to make it a great movie. There was a great story here, it's just too bad it was buried in a mediocre script. I was expecting so much more emotion from this movie, especially once we learn the story of this guy, but it just didn't deliver what I thought it would or could. The climax was very emotional, but it should have been the cap on a much more moving film. If you saw the trailer, I think you may have seen a better emotional portrayal of this story than if you watched the entire movie. I say that facetiously of course, but it just didn't tug at my emotions enough. It didn't bring the pain when it could have, and it didn't bring the joy when it could have, relatively speaking ('cause it still brought a lot of pain and joy, don't get me wrong). The story though, again, is an amazing one, and even with it's less than stellar depiction, it, plus Will Smith and his son's acting, carried this movie to one that you can feel all warm and fuzzy about when you're walking to your car, and that's enough for a lot of people. 'Tis the season after all.

On the Reganometer, I give this movie a 6 out of 10 based pretty exclusively on its missed opportunities for flat-out tear-jerking emotion. If you're a father or a son, I think you would like this movie a lot, and if you aren't, well, you'd like it too. I say go see it if you're in the mood for a great story that leaves you smiling while wiping the tears from your eyes.