The other night, my wife and I watched
Pursuit of Happyness. I had heard it was a good movie, but I wasn't nearly as interested in seeing it as my wife was. However, I have to give credit to Will Smith. I don't know why he continues to surprise me as an actor (probably because he was in those
Bad Boys movies), but he does. His charm and charisma always shine through in his roles. He doesn't look like a movie star in this film, but he performance is sincere and heartwarming. Perhaps that has something to do with performing opposite his son. I don't think I would've gotten as much out of these movie if I wasn't a new father. His character's motives throughout the story are very clear: everything he does and decides is to make sure that his son has the best possible life. I love his character's confidence in himself, but also his vulnerability. This movie did make me feel a bit down in the dumps, and it doesn't hit the inspirational heights of
Rocky-formula movies. In fact, it's a relief more than anything when Smith's character, Chris Gardner, inevitably comes through his trials. The Chris Gardner character works his tail off to do what he must and to get what he wants, but his belief in himself hardly wavers. He's like a guy climbing Everest, cycling in the Tour de France, or doing any other endeavour in which self-doubt can destroy you; the kind of man that makes me (and probably most people) feel incredibly lazy.