MOVIE REVIEW: THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS

"It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that? "

There are films.......and then there are films; films so poignant in their depiction of human emotions, that they stir you up till your throat is choked. Shining examples here include cinematic masterpieces like Forrest Gump , Shawshank Redemption, etc. Here is another addition into that celebrated list.

Will Smith is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood today, probably(and not possibly---- those who have seen the movie would have understood the joke) the most paid star in the world. Whenever you think of Will Smith, larger than life movies like Men in Black, Independence Day,I Am Legend, and the recent Hancock come to your mind. Movies where, more often than not, he is saving the world from deadly intergalactic creatures. In short, he is associated with films which guarantee full-on entertainment for the entire running time. So TPOH comes as a real surprise, at least to me.

Finally had the good chance of catching the movie yesterday on HBO, and I'll be making an understatement if I say I was impressed.

I won't divulge the entire story here, but to be precise, the film is a biographical account on the life of Chris Gardner,millionaire, motivational speaker and a philanthropist who, during the early 1980s, struggled with homelessness while raising his toddler son, Christopher Jr.

Directed by Gabriele Muccino, TPOH beautifully traces his life, right from the time he was a bone density scanner salesman, his troubled marriage, his financial worries, his internship and the associated hardships he faced, and how in spite of all these stumbling blocks and the bane of leading such a life, he became the best father for his toddler son.

The film starts off as a sarcastic take on his misery, with the protagonist narrating each episode of his life and naming each episode. Even though the premise is anything but rosy, you start enjoying it. But this sarcasm transitions into seriousness which unfurls the grief which the Gardner family experiences. One failure after another is fired at them by fate. And according to me, this is where the film becomes much more believable.

It is often seen in many a movie that even though the protagonist is suffering, something accidentally happens that suddenly changes his fortunes and he lives happily ever after. But this is a far cry from reality, where miracles happen a bit less frequently than in films, and this is shown vividly in the movie.

Every time you think that something will turn for his good and make him happy again, something or the other goes wrong. I surprised myself as for the first time in my life, I was praying to God for the well-being of a cinematic character. Every time when there was a glimmer of hope in the life of the protagonist, I would root for him. This is where lies the power in the narration.

But the biggest victory for the film lies in the message it conveys through its hero; yes, he is a hero and not in the conventional sense. A conventional hero fought miscreants, but our hero fought life. And how he fought and the way he won.... I admit without any shame, that I cried when the hero won, because that win was inspirational.

That win is a slap on all our faces who think their life is the worst of all people on the planet; those who constantly complain to God for their sorry state, accuse Him of denying them what they deserve and how He gives the bouquets to all and all the brickbats are reserved for their skulls. This film forces you to realize the fact that for all the miseries you have in your life, none can be as big as those faced by Mr.Gardner. The kind of times he has seen, you pray not even your worst enemy faces them. And in spite of that, when you see him emerge victorious, not only professionally but also as a father, you realize how God has gifted you and eased your life as compared to others. The thought is spiritual, and the impact is hammer-strong. Hats off to the director, the script-writer and the screen-writer for coming up with something so simple yet having so many layers to it when you start analyzing the film in detail.

Going into the technical details, cinematography is adequate for a film of this genre. The camera captures the beauty of 1980s San Francisco, right from the dingy areas the protagonist inhabits to the overwhelming office crowds. Background score is another major asset. I've always maintained that a good background score raises the movie up or pushes it down, because the tone of a scene is decided by the background score. The use of songs, and especially the signature music of the movie, raises the power of a lot of scenes.

Now to the performances!!

Will Smith does a complete about turn this time with a role which does not require him to save the world. And WHAT A PERFORMANCE!!!.. He must have got the soul of Chris Gardner into himself when he performed, because nothing else explains the sheer effortlessness with which he slid under the skin of the protagonist. His expressions were impeccable.... be it in the sequences with his son or with his estranged wife or with his bosses at Dean Witter or otherwise, here is a superstar who is a super actor as well; a very versatile one at that. He should be extremely proud of this performance because it takes a lot to make a commoner look like a hero without bashing up villains. An AWE-INSPIRING PERFORMANCE!!!

Jaden Smith, who plays Christopher Gardner Jr., and who also happens to be Will Smith's real son, justifies his gene pool with a performance which complemented Will Smith's performance. Note the scene where the father and son are thrown out of their house and have nowhere to go, and they seek shelter in the toilet of a metro station, or the scene where the son wants to go to the ball game and he asks his father whether they will go there or not to which his father responds with a "Possibly"..... their chemistry crackled on the screen and made the sequences look very real and endearing to the viewer. A Wonderful performance.

Among other actors, Thandie Newton as Linda also pitches in with a power-packed performance. The pain and anguish she endures before she walks out of her marriage and the helplessness which she feels while doing so are wonderfully captured in her performance. Brian Howe as Jay Twistle and James Karen as Mr.Frohm are adequate in their parts.

All in all, one of the most beautiful films I've had the good fortune to see. TPOH is the perfect film to see and get inspired from, or just to admire the poignant heart-tugging performance by Will Smith, the actor. A MUST WATCH!!!



My Rating: ****