“Pursuit of Happyness”
And so it was that many months after its initial United States big ole screen release, this reviewer was able to catch “The Pursuit of Happyness” on the big screen in Panama City, Panama (in Panama, Panama City is simply Panama, both for the province and the city itself). That story-the particulars of the Panama City movie experience, was just as satisfactory, if not more memorable and unique, than the Will Smith rags to riches, tear-jerker, inspirational, give me an Oscar nom based on the preview alone vehicle.
Sure, Mr. Smith’s son, Jaden, who portrays here his son Christopher, is incredibly adorable. He also shows a talent for acting, not unusual for the son to follow the father in these endeavors, and, I suppose that keeping it all in the family allowed said family to spend more time together and gives junior a head start on his tuition bills for college if not just about skipping ahead to an initial 401K investment, but that has little to do with the film. The film is muah at best. Let us start with the positives in this rags to riches true story about a 1980’s San Francisco ex- military man cum bone scanner machine Salesman played by the elder Mr. Smith.
Well, there is, as always really the at very least solid or good performance by the former Fresh Prince of Bel Air (and of the airwaves before that and since then). Since he burst onto that small screen and then the big one Will Smith has shown a range, flexibility and ease of acting in multiple big budget action pics, comedy, summer whatever’s and don’t forget about his indie turn in the often wonderfully wordy “Six Degrees of Separation.” Mr. Smith was admirable also in “Ali” which, despite all those beautiful blue hues and stuff was kind of a bore (for me to it was hard to accept Will Smith, with such a large personality, disappeared into Ali, the great and even bigger and more important one…but not his fault).
But, once again, back to “Pursuit…” I suppose this is a new bag, and Smith does it admirably. In fact, admirable is a great word for this film. An admirable tale for an admirable life, this man, seemingly intelligent, but perhaps on a bad run (he sunk quite a bit of startup into these bone density machines…he sells them one by one to doctors, only problem is no one seems to want them) is now on the real edge of poverty. You know, can’t pay the rent, phone electricity, whatever. And his wife, played by the often very good but here not so much Thandie Newton is just about over it. In fact she is. Mom takes off, but dad insists on keeping the son. He knows, and they agree, he is better equipped to do so, and he is quite a dad in the caring, helping, whatever department. Problem is he’s broke and soon he and junior are out on the streets (rock bottom is sleeping in a bathroom in a subway) while dad tries to A. sell the last of his machines and B. navigate his way to a spot in a big time investment brokerage by navigating his way thru an unpaid highly intense winner takes all internship. Quite a gamble. How about making a movie about a man who takes this gamble then fails? Not quite as uplifting.
Do you think he’ll make it? Well, if you saw the preview you know he’s smart because he is able to solve the rubiq’s cube (In fact, he seems so motivated and intelligent, one wonders how he got himself so low to begin with). You also know he’ll give an inspirational mash up to his son. What you don’t know is the film manages to fit in at least two semi-comic, semi-impressive chase sequences with grand old San Francisco as the backdrops (some location scout!).
Problems: every character except Mr. Smith and perhaps his son becomes a caricature. His wife is impossibly angry, incredibly un-likeable and really just not quite fit to share the same emotions on the same screen as Mr. Smith. This happens to even worse effect in the brokerage, where the white men business types seem from a totally different planet of acting technique…namely one that has incredibly cheesy wooden, obvious dialogue. A play for the other side-this could reflect how different of a world Mr. Smith occupies, and though the director is Italian (Gabriele Muccino) I don’t think that’s it. More likely, a director whose language isn’t English first couldn’t quite steer the lesser parts and dialogues towards authenticity. Whatever the construction issues, the result is hammy acting and bad dialogue. The chase scenes are oddly entertaining and the films emotional scenes do tug a string. Oh, and I liked the way the film looked, a little gritty, an “indyish” feel once again to help Mr. Smith to that Oscar nod for a solid turn in an unspectacular film that does tell one man’s spectacular story, albeit in an unspectacular way.
Story: C + Black man (race is never addressed in this film by the way) in San Francisco, circa 1980’s goes rags to riches against the odds.
Acting: C + Often quite bad except for Mr. Smith and his son.
Visuals: B Nicely put together.
Originality/Innovation: C - Nope…maybe the chase scenes which added comic relief and the gritty visual style.
Enjoyability Grade: C - Funny, sad, predictable, cute kid, feel good ending. Might work for you, but for me…
Overall Grade: C + To reiterate, Smith is good, your emotions will swing, but just too by the numbers, to sappy to be better than a C+
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