The Pursuit Of Happyness By May Monten on Jan 05, 2008 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

This movie, starring Will Smith, is a rags-to-riches story based on the true story of a man, Chris Gardner, and his son who became homeless in San Francisco -- and then Gardner, against the odds and through sheer determination, became a stockbroker, and eventually started his own company and became a multi-millionaire.

Will Smith was very good, and the actor who played his young son was amazing. I didn't realize, until I watched the extra features after seeing the movie, that the young actor was Will Smith's real-life son (I must have heard about this at the time the movie first came out, but I forgot completely). I thought the best thing about the movie was the bond between father and son -- and finding out they were father and son in real life made it even more interesting.

Overall I liked it. I cried a bit at the end. I'd say it was a 2 tissue movie.

There were a few details that I thought didn't ring true (Gardner being put in jail overnight for not paying his parking tickets; and some liberties the filmmakers took with the geography of the city, putting a train station adjacent to a park that is actually a couple of miles away), but those were just details. Speaking of deatils, I liked that they got the Reverend Cecil Williams (Pastor of Gilde Memorial, where Gardner and his son seek shelter) to play himself.

There are a lot of good extras on the DVD, including a feature about speed solvers (and blindfolded solvers!) of Rubik's Cubes; an interview with the real formerly homeless/now wealthy man that the movie was based on; a couple of features about the making of the movie; and a director's commentary.