BOTTOM LINE: A touching and heart-warming story, inspired by a true account, of a man who hits rock bottom but manages to pull through and become the embodiment of the American Dream with his positivity and determination, all in service of protecting the welfare of his son and provide as a father.

THE GOOD: Although this is a story about living the American Dream, it is in essence a dream that almost any one can relate to having, if not the specifics of what happens to the lead character of Chris Gardner (Will Smith). He is a struggling father who is trying to keep his family together by selling bone density scanners that hospitals do not really need. When the money starts drying up, things become desperate for Gardner with his wife leaving him, becoming evicted from his flat, and forcing himself to re-evaluate his life and how to succeed. He decides to take an internship at a brokerage firm that leads to a promise of employment. Eventually Gardner succeeds, but not before a vast array of challenges, pitfalls and dark moments test his resolve in coming through the other side to live the dream of success. Will Smith does an excellent job at portraying the positivity and resilience of his character, particularly when placed in some harsh situations such as taking refuge in a subway toilet overnight with his son as they have no where to sleep. Smith’s own son Jaden plays Gardner’s son in the film which proves to be a masterstroke as the chemistry between them works perfectly, and Jaden Smith proves to be a rather good actor in his own right. Thandie Newton does well as Gardner’s wife who cannot take the pressure of such a hard life. Director Gabriele Muccino manages to create an honest and natural looking film that does an excellent job of pulling you in to Gardner’s heart-felt journey. Muccino’s best moment is the staging of the climax. Gardner is pulled in to the head office at the brokerage firm to be told he has the job. The emotion Smith conveys, coupled with a fantastic shot of Gardner walking out in to the street, overwhelmed by the knowledge that he has succeeded while the masses walk by like drones is a profound statement on appreciating what you have and never taking for granted the basics like having a roof over your head or worrying about where your next meal is going to come from.

THE BAD: The only issue with “The Pursuit of Happyness” is more a perception of what the story might be, particularly if you had seen the previews. Going in to this film you might be forgiven for thinking that you might go through the emotional wringer with Gardner but somehow there is a lightness to the film that is unexpected. Although this works well in certain sequences to highlight the positivity of Gardner’s character, it does undercut some of the dramatic weight of the darker sequences where Gardner hits rock bottom. As a result, although the climax is powerful, the emotional impact is less powerful simply because the execution is not filled with the big ups and downs that could have been made a part of this story.