A heartwarming film that demonstrates how good; hard-working people can become homeless almost overnight; Pursuit of Happyness is a tour-de-force showcase for Will Smith; who convincingly portrays a down-and-out dad trying to better his family's life. Smith; who usually is cast in effortlessly boyish roles (Men in Black; Independence Day); is wonderful in the film--even in the scenes that shamelessly tug at viewers' heartstrings. Based on the true-life story of Chris Gardner; a San Francisco salesman forced at times to shelter his young son (played by Smith's adorable look-alike offspring Jaden Smith) in a men's room; there is little suspense to the film in terms of Chris' outcome. (His story and eventual success a successful and wealthy Chicago businessman was well-publicized on the newsmagazine show 20/20.) And let's face it; Hollywood's not too keen on making feel-good movies with unhappy endings. The beauty (and suspense; to a certain extent) of this film is in the way the story is told. Though he is constantly rushing around to get to appointments and pick up his child; things do not happen quickly for Chris. When he accepts an internship with a prestigious stock brokerage firm; there's a catch: The position is unpaid; suitable more for trust-fund children than single parents with no other source of income. In many scenes; the viewer panics along with Chris; wondering how he's going to feed his child. While Smith and his son; Jaden; share many tender moments together; Thandie Newton has the thankless role of playing Chris' shrill wife; who deserts her family early in the film. It's not a particularly challenging part for the talented actress; and her departure doesn't impact the storyline much at all. As for the movie's misspelled title; it's inspired from a scene in the film. (Seeing a mural drawn by the children at a daycare center; Chris points out to the proprietor that "happiness" is spelled incorrectly. She notes that it doesn't matter how the word is written--just that the kids have it.) With Pursuit of Happyness; Smith has come out of his safety zone and; in turn; ends up playing his most heroic role to date. --Jae-Ha Kim

Extras from The Pursuit of Happyness

Behind the scenes footage of The Pursuit of Happyness high bandwidth

Chris Gardner: "On Being Studied By Will Smith" high bandwidth

Will Smith And Jaden Smith: "On Will Always Being In Character" high bandwidth

Beyond The Pursuit of Happyness on Amazon.com

More Films Starring Will Smith

More Films About Fathers & Sons

The Book

Stills from The Pursuit of Happyness (click for larger image)