Pursuit of Happyness

Starring Will Smith
Screenplay by Steve Conrad
Directed by Gabriele Muccino
website: http://www.sonypictures.com

[Rated PG-13 for some language. 117 minutes]

It's Christmas time. You don't get laughs at Christmastime. Remember that. You get all warm fuzzys, even if you have to slog through a whole bunch of stuff to get 'em.

A salesman trying to make the american dream by hawking expensive medical equipment door to door is left with his five year old -- actually the wife tried to take the kid but Will Smith got him back -- and struggles through a six month UNPAID internship at a major stock brokerage, hoping to make it big. He missed the fine detail about the UNPAID part and soon finds himself about as close to homeless as you can get without spending every night sleeping on the street. Not that he and his kid didn't come very close to t hat, you'll have to see it for yourself.

It isn't spilling anything to say OF COURSE there's a happy ending of some sort -- the film wouldn't have been made if there wasn't -- but we're not going to go that far. Then again, if you watch ABC's 20/20 regularly you already know this story, because it's true. And all the warm fuzzy stuff certainly applies and Will Smith rightfully deserves a nomination for keeping all the funny our of a serious story . . . but yours Cranky has already lived a version of this story, substitute broken neck for homeless, and we just don't have much left in the way to give over emotionally to warm fuzzy movies.

No rating from us cuz we're emotionally crippled <sigh>


	Click to buy films starring Will Smith

The Cranky Critic® is a Registered Trademark of, and his website is Copyright © 1995 - 2012 by Chuck Schwartz. Articles by Paul Fischer are Copyright © 1999 - 2006 Paul Fischer. All images, unless otherwise noted, are property of,©, ®, ™ their respective studios and are used by permission. All Rights Reserved. Not to be used or copied for any commercial purpose. Academy Award™(s) and Oscar®(s) are registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.