The Pursuit Of Happyness (5 out of 5 stars)
One of Will Smith's first 'serious' roles, and he continues to go from strength to strength as an actor. In this movie, based on the book of the same name by Chris Gardner, who's own life story this whole piece is about, Smith's performance is believable, sincere, and huge.
Gardner's story focuses entirely on what a man will or won't do in order to make his son safe, in the face of intensely difficult personal circumstances. As a Father myself, this was at times hard to watch, as I couldn't help but imagine myself in the same situations Gardner faced.
Having Will Smith's own son, Jaden, play the part of Gardner's son in the movie ultimately proved to be a master-stroke that made the film work, because even if Smith had still delivered the performance he did, this story is all about the interplay and relationship between Father and Son. Jaden had never made a movie before this, and he delivers a truly memorable performance.
Obviously this helped make the movie as good as it was, but then again, we all want to see people making the best films possible, and I find myself wishing that more film-makers would take this kind of risk.
Truly inspiring, lump-in-your-throat stuff.
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