Will Smith's "The Pursuit of Happyness"

One things that Hollywood does better than anyone else is "inspiration." Films that make the audience believe in the impossible is their specialty. They most assuredly did it again with the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness," based on the true-life story of Chris Gardner.

Popular actor Will Smith plays Gardner with 100 percent heart and soul. His real life son, Jaden Smith, plays Gardner's son Christopher. That may well account for the unusually wonderful chemistry between these two actors, but I suspect that a brilliant talent also has a lot to do with it.

The story seems like a simple one: Struggling father tries to make good to keep his family together. However, this one is much more than that, for it seems that Linda Gardner has had enough of the "worst" of marriage. Not seeing any of the "better" coming anytime soon, she decides to call it quits; leaving the two men in her life to fend for themselves.

Chris is a salesman. He sells bone density measurement devices, or as he puts it "a machine that shows density slightly better than an x-ray, but for a whole lot more money." Consequently, selling the devices has become a problem. No devices sold equals no money, meaning the rent doesn't get paid and food isn't put on the table.

Disillusioned and depressed, Chris is about to count himself down and out when he discovers that Dean Witter is taking applications for internships. Good at math as well as with people, Chris figures that this is a job he can easily do and sets about obtaining the chance. He pulls out all of the stops in an effort to earn a chance not only for himself, but also for his son.

The road to happiness, however, is not paved with gold. In fact, it isn't paved at all. It is rocky and in some ways more difficult than anything Gardner has tried before. He hits roadblock after roadblock along the way; making this a difficult film to watch. However, it is well worth the journey for those who can hang in to the end.