The Pursuit of Happyness Forum

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I finally saw this movie the other day!

and I loved it. It was such a heartbreaking and heartwarming tale that keeps itself very grounded and while some of it is probably enhanced for cinematic effect, you could really sense the realism of the whole thing. Will Smith continues to amaze me. He began as an actor that not many people would take seriously and he has evolved into someone everyone should really respect for his talents.

@Mushir said:

Yea, I really liked it! Great acting by Will Smith and quite a nice story.

Will Smith's acting was great but personally I thought the story was pretty dumb. They fictionalized the real events to the point where it became absurd and thus wasn't as inspiring as it should be. To be able to get through all the impossible odds showed in the movie (like the Rubix cube challenge) you would have to be a super-genius; it's hard to get inspired if the hero is obviously operating at a level far above us mortals. And real life events like the guy getting arrested for punching his girlfriend (instead of parking tickets) or abandoning his son for months would make us really care about him because it would make him more relatable; the Will Smith character is so perfect it is laughable.

Also, that movie pretty butchered the concept of subtelty. The Captain America doll scene was so ridiculously heavy handed I was guffawing for the next three scenes.

Finally, am I the only one who was kind of disturbed that we are supposed to think it is okay that the hero doesn't pay his rent and cheats on his taxes. That seems like just another form of stealing to me. I am sure his landlord needed the money too, and he couldn't rent out the room if Will Smith and his kid were taking it up.

@VioletEyedDragon said:

@Mushir said:

Yea, I really liked it! Great acting by Will Smith and quite a nice story.

Will Smith's acting was great but personally I thought the story was pretty dumb. They fictionalized the real events to the point where it became absurd and thus wasn't as inspiring as it should be. To be able to get through all the impossible odds showed in the movie (like the Rubix cube challenge) you would have to be a super-genius; it's hard to get inspired if the hero is obviously operating at a level far above us mortals.

I see your point, but I'm not sure I, or the people I was watching the movie with, experienced the same thing. I didn't really see the Rubix Cube scene as a challenge -- rather, it was an opportunity for Gardner to take his chance and begin to achieve his potential. And even from there he demonstrated that while he was undoubtedly intelligent, it wasn't his natural ability that saw him eventually become successful, it was through hard work (as well as opportunism) that allowed him to achieve his goal. That's what made him relatable -- it's not the intelligence that is inspiring, but his perseverance (for me, at least).

I haven't read anything about the real story at all, so it's interesting to hear that his portrayal in the film is a bit more toned-down than was actually the case. I'm not saying that they did the right thing by changing bits of his life for the film, but I think I wouldn't have had the same levels of admiration for him as a person had they depicted the domestic violence or child abandonment. As it was, I felt they did a pretty good job of conveying the sense of a flawed individual who, at points, really struggled with his life without making me lose all respect for him. Equally, as you say that wasn't necessarily the case, so I guess that does change my perception of the film to a certain extent.

What does any of this have to do with Numberwang?

@skidd said:

@VioletEyedDragon said:

@Mushir said:

Yea, I really liked it! Great acting by Will Smith and quite a nice story.

Will Smith's acting was great but personally I thought the story was pretty dumb. They fictionalized the real events to the point where it became absurd and thus wasn't as inspiring as it should be. To be able to get through all the impossible odds showed in the movie (like the Rubix cube challenge) you would have to be a super-genius; it's hard to get inspired if the hero is obviously operating at a level far above us mortals.

I see your point, but I'm not sure I, or the people I was watching the movie with, experienced the same thing. I didn't really see the Rubix Cube scene as a challenge -- rather, it was an opportunity for Gardner to take his chance and begin to achieve his potential. And even from there he demonstrated that while he was undoubtedly intelligent, it wasn't his natural ability that saw him eventually become successful, it was through hard work (as well as opportunism) that allowed him to achieve his goal. That's what made him relatable -- it's not the intelligence that is inspiring, but his perseverance (for me, at least).

I haven't read anything about the real story at all, so it's interesting to hear that his portrayal in the film is a bit more toned-down than was actually the case. I'm not saying that they did the right thing by changing bits of his life for the film, but I think I wouldn't have had the same levels of admiration for him as a person had they depicted the domestic violence or child abandonment. As it was, I felt they did a pretty good job of conveying the sense of a flawed individual who, at points, really struggled with his life without making me lose all respect for him. Equally, as you say that wasn't necessarily the case, so I guess that does change my perception of the film to a certain extent.

interesting. while i personally didn't get much from the movie, your analysis make me see it more favorably. i guess what some people find maudlin others find inspiring. I was one of the few people on the site who thought EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY close deserved the Oscar nomination; I know most of you guys thought it was too corny and too much of a tear-jercker.

Does it make me terrible if I say that it is good for an in flight movie but outside of that it was just mediocre?

I honestly thought that it was one of Will Smith's best performances that I've ever seen. He's really grown from a sarcastic rap star to someone who has shown us some very impressive dramatic chops. Jaden Smith was decent considering it was his first movie, but seeing a real-life son and dad in a movie together was a very nice touch.

@Ghost_of_GhostDad:

I don't know if it makes you terrible, but it does sound like a very harsh comment. But it's your opinion, and I'll respect it.

@roger778: That Ali bio pic was a better movie and a better performance by Will Smith.

I have no idea if this is in the right thread but LETS GO

1. TAKEN
2. TO ROOM WITH LOVE? I THINK? THEY WERE BOTH IN THAT RIGHT? CAPITALS.
3. WONT BACK DOWN