When it came out at the end of 2006, The Pursuit Of Happyness seemed tailor-made as Oscar Bait. But it just couldn’t hang with the likes of Babel and The Departed. Completely passed over for everything except being nominated for Will Smith’s admittedly wonderful performance, The Pursuit Of Happyness went home empty handed, and similar disappointment was found from similar award ceremonies world wide, despite being exceptionally well-received. 

Why? Where did The Pursuit Of Happyness go wrong? 

I don’t think it is so much a question of where the film went wrong as where the other films went right. Based on a true story or not, this film doesn’t bring a whole hell of a lot of new material to the table of cinema. Pursuit presents the staple rags-to-riches story of Chris Gardner (Will Smith), a man who spent his life’s savings on an opportunity that became less than fruitful. Selling bone-density scanners to hospitals wasn’t quite as easy or financially lucrative as initially intended. As a father and as a husband to a woman of ever-increasing frustration, Chris looks to attempt a change in careers – a stock broker. 

But soon his wife Linda (Thandie Newton) leaves him, and he is forced into a tough situation where he is the single parent of his son Chris (played by Will’s real-life son, Jaden Smith) and having absolutely no guaranteed income at all – not to mention all the debt he’s racked up both in parking tickets and failure to pay his taxes. Still, Chris decides to pursue his dream of becoming a successful stock broker, using his skill at mathematics, his personable charm, and an extreme determination to get accepted and ultimately get through the extremely competitive and non-paying internship. 

I want to cut in a moment, and reiterate the fact that I really did like The Pursuit Of Happyness, because I am afraid that the critiquing I am about to do will sound as though I’m selling the movie short. I’m not. It’s really a decent flick, but that’s about it. 

Will Smith’s performance is nothing short of wonderful. He really captures the desperation of not only being absolutely dirt broke, but having a son that you love more than anything completely dependant on you. There is a scene where, to find shelter for the night, Chris locks himself and his son in a public lavatory. There is absolutely no dialog in this scene, but Smith’s expression speaks volumes. Fear, desperation, sadness, concern, hope and coldness; in what only lasts a few seconds, all of this is expressed as Smith does little more than look straight ahead, lost in thought. His performance was very much deserving of his Oscar nomination – the same can not be said about his much-ballyhooed son Jaden. 

Yeah, I know. It’s not right to pick on the kid. Sorry, I’m about to do it. See, he frankly isn’t that great of an actor, despite what everyone involved in this project would like you to believe. In what is surely the biggest case of family casting family since Sofia Coppola in The Godfather Part III or Tori Spelling in… nearly everything Aaron Spelling touched after she was born, Jaden was little more than the obvious choice. Much has been said about how well and how naturally he performed, but in all honesty, it seemed to me like an eight-year-old acting with his father. While I’m sure this actually helped add to the realism that Will Smith was able to convey, I’m fairly certain the child character could have been just as easily played by any other child actor.  

As for the film itself, when watching it my best friend, she actually brought up an excellent point about the music and flow of the film in general that I otherwise wouldn’t have known quite how to express: For all the hardships that Chris Gardner has to endure, and the audience-exclusive hardships that we have to endure empathically while watching him, the film tends to exaggerate these even further by using a rather painful musical score over scenes that suffer us enough on their own. “I don’t need to hear ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’… I get it!” was her quote, and it’s an absolutely dead-on observation.  

But aside from the clichéd – regardless if true – tear-jerking Hollywood plotline, there are some other questionable touches to this film. The set designers went out of their way to change the streets and apartments, and every little thing to make San Francisco look as if it was 1981. So with this no-expense-spared approach, why couldn’t they get an authentic 1981 Rubik’s Cube instead of a current version for the sequences that required them? Where is Chris making the little money that he is using for travel and food? Why aren ’t the more iconic aspects of San Francisco used, at least as filler shots, (except for the ending scene) so that a true sense of place can be determined, rather than explained? Watching the film, I thought how easily the city could be called Chicago or New York, and most people wouldn’t be the wiser.  

But some of this even I will admit is nitpicking. The Pursuit Of Happyness is a decent flick if you want to put the time into watching it. The real Chris Gardner is a man amongst men that I can only hope to somewhat resemble if I ever experience the joy of fatherhood, and his story is nothing less than inspiring no matter how you dissect it. It’s not the best film of the year, but its well worth seeing once at least. 

The DVD Presentation
Presented in anamorphic widescreen (a separate full-screen version is available), the video looks great. I can’t really find much else to say besides that. It’s a recent film, it’s a comparable transfer. Sound? Sound is the same. The 5.1 mix included here is nice, if not a tear-the-house-down bass-kicker. It’s a good match with the film. There is also a 5.1 French track and subtitles in English, French and Spanish. You aren’t likely to find any problems. 

And the Extras Are?
Audio Commentary with Director Gabriele Muccino – Gabriele Muccino seems like a personable director. He speaks candidly and at length at how he did different scenes, sets and why he reshot some scenes multiple times. I particularly enjoyed his extensive discussion of the difficulties of dressing the streets to make everything look like the 1980s. While good, this commentary could have been made better with the inclusion of Chris Gardner and/or Will Smith, who I feel would provide more depth to the content of the film instead of the making of it. 

Making Pursuit: An Italian Take on the American Dream – (17:35) This feature on the selection of director Gabriele Muccino and the making of the film in general is fairly decent. Thankfully devoid of continuous self-congratulations, I truly got a feel of actually “making” the movie.  

Father and Son: On Screen and Off – (7:29) A featurette meant to examine the father and son dynamic that is present with actor Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith. Instead, it more or less acts as a defense for casting the main actor's own son. I won’t go so far as call it nepotism for nepotism sake, but I differ with the opinion of the masses in that I don’t think Jaden really adds anything to the film. It may have made it easier for Will Smith to relate, but otherwise, I don’t see the brilliance that apparently everyone else did. 

The Man Behind the Movie: A Conversation with Chris Gardner – (13:02) The real Chris Gardner is a remarkable man, and this is kind of a portrait of him and his response to the production of the film. Its well worth watching this featurette as nothing else on thisDVD gives us such a great look at the real deal. Sadly, it’s less of a conversation than it is an examination.  

Inside the Rubik’s Cube – (6:44) The classic Rubik’s Cube plays an integral part in the beginning of the film, and this feature goes into detail about its origins, its popularity, and the lasting power of the classic puzzle. The best part – a kid solving the cube – blindfolded. Amazing! 

“I Can” Musical Performance – Bebe Winans and Dave Coz perform a nice little song inspired by The Pursuit Of Happyness, but not included the film itself. This is an audio only feature. 

Trailer Gallery – Sony loaded a bunch of previews on this DVD, they include the trailers for Spider-Man 3, Surf’s Up, Casino Royale, Stranger Than Fiction, Rocky Balboa, Stomp The Yard, Spider-Man 2.1, The Natural – Director’s Cut, Across The Universe, Hitch, The Holiday and Catch And Release. 

The Bottom Line
I was less impressed with The Pursuit Of Happyness than I expected to be, but that’s certainly not due to the actual story it tells. If this film is to be taken as 100% fact, Chris Gardner should be considered a national hero merely for representing the best of what the human spirit can manufacture. Since the film, on the other hand is a bit overblown, I would encourage a rental of the film, since it isn’t likely to be something frequently rewatched. Although any fan of the film should be more than happy with the presentation and the extras on this DVD.