Will Smith & Son Star in Pursuit of Happyness

After seeing the film Pursuit of Happyness I can only say one thing: Will Smith deserves to win an award for best actor. His performance was simply outstanding. Now I personally am a big fan of Will Smith and I loved him in his television show The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and his films Men in Black and other comedies such as Hitch. However this film showed how Will Smith has truly elevated himself into the top tier of actors in the industry and can produce a real tear jerking drama that everyone can appreciate and enjoy.

The Pursuit of Happpyness has a plot that almost anyone can relate to with a family and a young child struggling to make it and hovering near the poverty line, struggling to make ends meat every day. It is the tragic reality of America as the film shows the lines and lines of people waiting to get into the homeless shelters and after they fill up, the homeless people have nowhere to go. In a tear jerking scene, Will Smith and his young five year old son have to spend the night in a bathroom in a train station and Will Smith starts to cry as a janitor pounds on the door and Will Smith cries because of his homeless condition and having his son have to spend the night with him in a bathroom.

Yet even through the hard times, the acting of Will Smith is simply amazing as he gets his five year old son (which really is his son in real life) to play an imagination game in which they have to seek shelter from dinosaurs in the small bathroom in the train station.

The film makes reference to the Declaration of Independence which states "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." That last phrase is a continuing theme as Will Smith struggles to make a living and raise his son even after his wife leaves him. Will Smith struggles to sell X-ray machines that he spent his life savings on. As he does this, he is trying to get an internship with a high profile brokerage company. The internship does not pay and he must be the best in his class in order to get the paying job. Will Smith has to put in fewer hours than the other interns because he has to care for his son. The determination that Will Smith's character has is remarkable as evidenced by his hard work and upbeat personality. In another memorable scene he tells his son, "Don't let anybody tell you that you can do something."

The character and acting that Will Smith does is truly spectacular and I highly recommend this film to everybody. You will leave the theater possibly crying in both sadness and in happiness and a great sense of satisfaction. The plot is great as well and there is never a dull moment. This is by far Will Smith's best film ever and he deserves an Academy Award for Best Actor after this performance.