I just deleted this off the server. Not because it's necessarily a bad movie, it's just not one that I'd ever watch again.Chris Gardner (Will Smith) is a struggling salesman trying to provide for his family. A chance encounter with a stockbroker gives Chris the idea to apply for a prestigious internship but the strain of abject poverty weighs down his every decision.
For people who don't know what it's like to be really poor -- I mean seriously poor, like "don't know where you're going to sleep tonight" poor, not "can't afford the latest palette from Urban Decay" poor-- this movie is a chance to see what that looks like. It is a constant source of stress and fear. It can make people bitter with envy or it can motivate them to improve their station by any means available. For the rare few like Chris Gardner, it works out. For the majority, they get just enough to keep grinding on another day, week, month, year.
I'm not going to discuss the social issues presented in this movie because I'm not qualified. I have no data or salient facts and I'm just as likely as the rest of you to turn a blind eye. I hate that about myself but I admit it. I am, however, going to discuss this movie.
Will Smith stars with his actual son, Jaden, playing his fake son. The boy is surprisingly natural (compared to his current career) and the relationship works. Thandiwe Newton has a brief role as Gardner's shrewish, brittle wife but she's not in the movie long enough to really make an impression. The entire movie rests on Will Smith's shoulders and he's a capable enough actor but the whole affair is swamped in treacly melodrama masquerading as pathos. That is not something I enjoy.
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