Director: Gabriele Muccino
Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith and Thandiwe Newton
‘A Magnificent Masterpiece’
Fathers are inspirational figures which ensure children’s success rather than failures. Being inspiring role models, fathers inspire children to fulfill dreams that they are chasing. Through their larger-than-life presence, fathers inspire children to make their dreams come true. Like a bright light glimmering in darkness, fathers are inspiring figures which commonly contribute towards children’s happiness. On a personal level, I’ve always shared a powerful bond with my own father. At an early age, I bonded with a father which inspired. me to accomplish my lifelong dreams through an inspirational message. An inspirational guide, he became a person in whom I could easily confide. With his larger-than-life presence, he passed on to me life-changing guidance. Ever since, I’ve always admired movies that portray roles father play shaping the lives of kids today.
Few films I’ve ever seen have captured roles fathers play ensuring kids’ pursuit of happiness like “The Pursuit of Happiness”. Released in 2006, Gabriele Muccino’s movie did an exceptional job of celebrating fathers affecting children’s identities. Muccino painted a powerful portrait of fathers giving children big dreams to follow. Packed with breathtaking production, sharp storytelling and powerful performances, it’s a fantastic drama about fatherhood. At the centre of it all is an extraordinary performance by Will Smith, who portrays an inspiring father putting his life on the line to ensure his son’s future. Ultimately, it delivers a strong message which would resonate with everyone forming bonds with fathers at an early age. A heartbreaking classic celebrating the lives of inspiring fathers, it’s a film that’s absolutely worth watching.
“The Pursuit of Happiness” tells the true story of a father seeking the pursuit of happiness. Will Smith embodies Chris Gardener, a down-on-his-luck salesman struggling to raise his family. When he struggles to find employment, Chris’ family faces downtrodden poverty. Frustrated by his lack of action, Chris’ wife leaves him in a tense separation. Chris is thrown into a stressful situation of looking for a stable job all while raising his young son (Jaden Smith). Struggling to hold onto a stable job, Chris finds it hard to deal with a life that’s challenging. As he experiences sadness, Chris questions whether he will ever be able to find the pursuit of happiness.
Gabriele Muccino is a newcomer to the stories of fathers. Before he directed “The Pursuit of Happiness”, Muccino had never made a film about fathers before. It was the filmmaker’s first attempt capturing the struggles endured by fathers to find happiness, but he succeeded. Through stunning cinematography, Muccno captures a father’s journey struggling to find happiness as he raises his family. Muccino successfully uses handheld camera to capture a father facing a stressful dilemma. Handheld camera elevates the scene where Chris chases after an intruder that has stolen his precious machine in a state of anxiety. Through handheld cinematography, Muccino captures the hardships that fathers seeking the pursuit of happiness always go through. Using stunning visuals, Muccino celebrates fathers having an impact on the lives of children that’s inspiring.
Another commendable aspect of “The Pursuit of Happiness” that contributes towards its success is the production. Muccino effectively uses locations to capture the powerful bonds between fathers and children. Throughout the movie, Chris and his son often visit certain locations where they have memorable interactions. Such locations become a powerful symbol of the strong bond Chris shares with with his son. For instance, locales elevate the basketball court scene. During this unforgettable scene, Chris gives his son a prep talk passing on valuable advice about life while playing a game of basketball. One admires basketball courts showing strong relationships between fathers and children. It reminded me of my strong bond with a father giving me valuable advice whose wisdom I’ve often appreciated. Moreover, the musical score is magnificent. Andrew Guerra’s score captures hardships of fathers facing a stressful dilemma. Through strong production, Muccino captures the powerful bonds between fathers and children.
Storytelling is one of the key reasons why “The Pursuit of Happiness” is a film that’s engaging. The film is beautifully written and successfully uses voice-over narration to capture hardships of fathers seeking direction. Muccino’s screenwriting strength is capturing struggles experienced by fathers raising children through narration. Throughout the movie, Chris often expresses his frustrations of being a father through narration. Whether it’s his experience of being humiliated chasing machines or his meaningful discussions on happiness, Chris’ narration provides a glimpse at fathers which endure tension. Through ingenious narration, Muccino creates a compelling character whom audiences can relate to. Voice-over narration is a tricky technique. Frank Darabont’s “The Shawshank Redemption” suggested narration elevates classic prison dramas. Nevertheless, it worked tremendously in this movie. Through a spectacular screenplay, Muccino captures the essential roles that fathers play in guiding children today.
One appreciates powerful performances.
Will Smith delivers one of his greatest career performances as Chris Gardener. Smith first achieved appreciation for playing heroes in action blockbusters during the 1990’s. With “The Pursuit of Happiness”, however, he took on his first ever fatherly role. This is the actor unlike you’ve ever seen him before: intense, charismatic and emotional in his finest career role. It isn’t easy to embody the personality of a hard-working father struggling to raise his impoverished family, but Smith succeeds. Through captivating expressions, he captures the angst, desperation and perseverance of a father driven to make his son’s dreams come true. It’s a phenomenal performance from one of the finest movie-stars working in Hollywood today.
While the film is mainly a stunning showcase for Will Smith, the supporting cast is equally excellent and worth recognizing. Jaden Smith is spectacular, capturing the childlike nature of Chris’ son that can’t quite fully understand the struggles faced by his father. Thandwie Newton is terrific, bringing humanity to Chris’ wife that questions whether her husband would ever be able to make ends meet providing for his family. Lastly, Brian Howe deserves appreciation. As a well-regarded CEO, he brings gravitas towards the movie.
Finally, “The Pursuit of Happiness” would earn everyone’s appreciations for capturing fathers in pursuit of happiness. Unlike most business biopics, the movie discusses universal themes that everyone would relate to. It conveys powerful themes such as marriages, fatherhood and career. Viewers aren’t required to be familiar with the world of business to appreciate the movie. It delivers a relatable message which would engage everyone forming bonds with fathers at an early age. As someone sharing strong bonds with my father, I connected to the movie deeply. Therefore, “The Pursuit of Happiness” is one of those rare movies leaving everyone in happiness.
Fans of Will Smith will appreciate “The Pursuit of Happiness” and so will movie-goers giving acknowledgements towards fathers. A brilliant business biopic, it celebrates fathers overcoming obstacles which are tragic.
A powerful portrait of the positive impact that hard-working fathers have on lives of children seeking success in business, it’s a rousing reminder of a timeless movie that raises greater awareness about the incredibly important roles fathers play shining bright light amidst darkness in the lives of kids that has given me newfound appreciation for my dad without whose inspirational guidance I wouldn’t have achieved my own pursuit of happiness.
5/5 stars
The Film Buff 