In Pursuit of Happyness

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of watching a great movie of our time, the Will Smith starer In Pursuit of Happyness. Yes, there is a type O in the name; but it is deliberate. Watch the movie and you'll know why. I was surprised (pleasantly, of course) to see Will Smith act the way he did in the movie.

Will Smith is an immensely talented actor, but I've never seen him play a role as intense as in the movie. I've always had an image of the MIB, Independence Day, I-Robot and the likes, for him in my mind. To me such a role is played the best by Denzel Washington; but Will Smith had proved me wrong. He played the character to the T. While I was watching the movie, I couldn't think of any other actor playing the part and that to me is powerful acting. It seemed like the role was in fact written for him. Though, the biggest surprise to me in the movie was actually his son.

Smith Jr., following in his father's footsteps, played his part superbly. It seemed like he was playing his part effortlessly. It could've been a little easier for him because "daddy" was with him; but his acting still deserves a commendation. I think he was brilliant when it came to portraying the tantrums and unconditional love of a child for his parents. As everyone knows, children also have a lot ego and don't want to make a fool of themselves in front of a crowd of grown ups. Keeping this in mind, it was interesting to see Smith Jr. portray the nuances of a kid flawlessly, effortlessly without holding back at all. The movie was brilliant, but there were certain scenes in the movie, which moved me the most.

Even the most brilliant movies, has some scenes which deserve a special mention. And this was also the case in "In Pursuit of Happyness".

Firstly, the scene where Will Smith tells his son that since he had limited basketball skills, the son will also have limited basketball skills. And in an instant the son just throws the ball away. And then as they get ready to leave the court, Will Smith says "Don't let anybody tell you, you can't do something. Not even me." The punch with which he says the dialog not only inspires you to achieve your dreams, but also sets a stage for the story when Will Smith decides to go full throttle towards his internship at the brokerage firm.

Secondly, the scene where Will Smith's son asked him if Smith's wife left them because of the child. That scene to me is one of the best scenes in the movie, as it depicted the internal conflict a child goes through if parents are separated. I think the scene was played out flawlessly by the two actors.

It was refreshing to see a movie where you couldn't really pick out any mistakes. There isn't a dull moment in the movie. Each scene is put in because it should be there, the director doesn't waste any time at all. A brilliant movie as this doesn't come out every Friday, so my recommendation is to watch it and enjoy the depiction the power of human will.

It does make you feel powerful at the end the movie for just the fact that you are a human being. If you haven't already caught it at the theaters, then rent the DVD and watch it. No one should miss this one!!