The Pursuit of Happyness: A-

There are several things that work in this movie, foremost among them the raw, toiling performances of Will Smith, Thandie Newton, and Jaeden Smith (Will's son) that dig into your heart and mind simultaneously. Will Smith has proved himself not only a genuine box-office charmer, but also a four star actor. Coming from the man that coasted along on the strength of his wit in Men In Black and Bad Boyz that is quite a shock.

Of course, you know when a man goes from sleeping in subway bathrooms to being a multi-millionare stockbroker there will be a movie involved. And of course there will be the usual Hollywood things (big name to play big character, warm message) to go along with it. What is so shocking is the complete lack of contrivance and hoopla that is involved in the picture. Starting with the aforementioned actors and moving on to the writer, Steve Conrad, and the Italian director Gabriele Muccino, making his American film debut, the movie is easily the most solidly down to Earth of the year.

Chris Gardner (Will Smith) sells a highly expensive piece of medical equipment for a living and apparently no one if buying. When his distraught wife Linda (Thandie Newton) leaves him and his son Christopher (Jaeden Smith), Chris is forced to aspire upwards while plummeting down. When he takes a no-salary competetive internship at Dean Witter Brokerage Firm it's both the most hopeful point in the movie and the scariest: without money how can he survive in a world where money is everything? How can he survive in our world? The answer is he barely manages. As he slips farther and farther into poverty hell, first motels then shelters, the very act of spending and intaking the dollar becomes a frustratingly arbritrary process. How can Chris ever hope to suceed if every time he goes 10 blocks he spends 10 dollars?

Fueled by the quietly amazing performances of father and son and the humane touch of Muccino the movie is a study in the economics of bankruptcy, of raising a child, and of trying to make it in a world that is increasingly more interested in watching you fail. By avoiding the obvious pratfalls of corporate villains and sudden God sends, The Pursuit of Happyness is an eloquent and powerful film that showcases an even more powerful message: If you want something go get it, period.