'Happyness' inspires with rags-to-riches tale

'Happyness' inspires with rags-to-riches tale

*** In 2003, the ABC newsmagazine "20/20" aired a story about honorably discharged Navy veteran Chris Gardner, who had fallen on such hard times that he ended up homeless and struggling to survive on the streets of San Francisco.

In the heartbreaking segment, Gardner recounted how, after being abandoned by his wife, evicted from his apartment, having his account frozen by the IRS and having his car repossessed, he and his 5-year-old son soon bottomed out with no hope in sight. The two ate in soup kitchens, slept in church shelters and subway stations and bathed in public bathrooms until the frustrated father finally figured a way to extract them from their dire circumstances.

Gardner pulled himself up by his bootstraps, starting out as an intern at a leading stock brokerage firm. He later parlayed that position into an entrepreneurial venture, founding Christopher Gardner International Holdings, the multimillion-dollar financial services empire that still bears his name today. After watching the aforementioned "20/20" segment, actor Mark Clayman approached Gardner about gaining the rights to turn his rags-to-riches tale into a major motion picture.

The resulting film is a crowd-pleasing production called "The Pursuit of Happyness," one of those uplifting, overcoming-all-odds "miracle" movies that seem to be released every year around Christmas time. This inspirational biopic features Will and Jaden Smith as Chris and Chris Jr., respectively.

Naturally, the real-life father and son duo has no trouble generating screen chemistry, as they are already rather relaxed with each other - and as it turns out, Jaden is just as likable and as charismatic as his famous father.

Thandie Newton co-stars as Chris's fed-up ex, Linda, and the cast also includes Dan Castellaneta (best known as the voice of Homer Simpson) as Alan Frakesh, the Dean Witter executive who gives Chris his shot at redemption, as well as Rev. Cecil Williams and Gardner himself, in cameo appearances. But with respect to their castmates, the Smith men carry the film, their characters' plight contrasting sharply with the array of spectacular Bay Area locales employed as backdrops.

The movie takes its title, complete with misspelling, from the name of the Chinatown daycare center where Chris drops off his little boy each weekday until what little money he has left runs out. At the point of departure, we find Chris putting in long hours as a door-to-door salesman of an obsolete bone density machine that holds little interest for doctors. Meanwhile, his equally exhausted spouse is holding down a trio of part-time minimum wage positions, yet the couple still can't seem to make ends meet.

In short order, Chris is beset by more tests than Job in the Bible, losing everything near and dear to him except his son. Yet despite being down, he is never embittered by his predicament, even maintaining his sense of humor and quick wit during his Dean Witter interview when Frakesh asks how he should explain hiring a man not wearing a shirt to superiors - "He must have had on some really nice pants," Chris responds without missing a beat, exhibiting a charm reminiscent of the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air."

Expect to laugh as much as you cry during this touching tearjerker.