This is Smith as you've never seen him -- an unsure, struggling, frustrated guy trying to hold together his family and failing.
Comment
12/30/06
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
66
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:165
Fresh:109
Rotten:56
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: Will Smith’s heartfelt performance elevates The Pursuit of Happyness above mere melodrama.
Theatrical Release:Dec 15, 2006 Wide
Box Office: $162,586,036
Synopsis: In The Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner (Will Smith) is a family man struggling to make ends meet. Despite his valiant attempts to help keep the family afloat, the mother (Thandie Newton) of his... [More]
Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Dan Castellaneta, Thandie Newton
Director: Gabriele Muccino
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Reviews for The Pursuit of Happyness
Top CriticThis is not a feel-good movie about overcoming all obstacles, but instead a frank discussion of how overwhelming those odds can be.
12/30/06
Like Gardner’s desire to escape the confines of his economic station, there’s a better movie struggling to escape the confines of a Hollywood movie machine that values story mechanics over genuine emotion.
12/30/06
An honest, intense look at the kind of day-to-day survival that too many Americans must contend with...This is absolutely one of my favorite movies of the year.
12/27/06
Given Hollywood's long resume, you have figure that Gardner's elusive pursuit isn't likely to end in unhappiness, however you spell it. The ending is as predictable as, well, Will Smith getting a job in the next Men in Black sequel.
12/26/06
As one bad thing is piled on another, it starts to feel like a test of Job proportions. This movie could drift over into melodrama were it not for the performance from Will Smith.
12/23/06
The picture is skilled enough to generate some genuine pathos to go along with the more calculated melodramatics.
12/23/06
Will Smith tones down Will Smith for this understated, touching performance.
12/22/06
One of those uplifting, overcoming-the-odds, miracle movies which seem to be released every year around Christmastime.
12/22/06
Smith carries the weight of the film rather well on his broad shoulders, with a soul-felt performance that makes you feel kicked in the gut every time another lousy thing happens to this nice, hard-working, devoted dad.
12/22/06
A string of annoyances that no doubt riddled the real life of Chris Gardner, but when put in a Hollywood film, feel quite set up like dominos that fall with cliché timing.
12/21/06
Of the many sad scenes in The Pursuit of Happyness, the saddest might be when Captain America is left behind.
12/21/06
Maybe this sounds like a Hallmark card you've read before, but sometimes even they can warm the cockles of your heart.
12/20/06
What seems like a departure for (Will) Smith actually fits comfortably with his heroic oeuvre.
12/19/06
When life hands you a script about a guy whom life hands lemons, make a bigger lemon.
12/19/06
Will Smith gives an excellent performance, his most Hanksian to date, in 'Pursuit of Happyness.'
12/19/06
As cynical as I am, I have to admit I was completely won over by Smith’s sincere and deeply effective work as a guy who was knocked down again and again, but refused to stay on the canvas.
12/18/06
Top CriticWho is that fellow running with that cumbersome gadget? Why, it's Will Smith, racing toward an Oscar nod in "The Pursuit of Happyness."
12/17/06
A by-the-numbers piece of Hollywood inspiration.
12/17/06
Will Smith has his best screen role ever and he runs with it. He's flat-out great.
12/17/06
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