Will and Jayden shine

One of the best films of 2007, and with high expectation in the Oscars one year ago, The Pursuit of Happyness is a film that essentially exalts the model: America - Land of Opportunities, but is a great film nevertheless, with remarkable acting by real life father and son Will and Jayden Smith.

Based on the true story of Chris Gardner, who in the early 1980's, faced many difficulties, because of an investiment on an expensive and almost useless medical device, it takes him into a spiral of misfortune from being abandoned together with his young son, by his wife, to having to sleep on shelters at night. But in spite of all, Chris must not lose hope for his son.

In the hands of a less talented director, the film could be turned into a cheap melodrama, but Muccino does his job very well holding the story when its needed to be held, not to fall in a cliche valley of tears.

Will Smith also does his job as Chris, portraying a character completely different from what we're used to see him in. With real life dramas, such as finding a place for his son to sleep, instead of shooting this or that alien that blew up a government building.

Jayden Smith steals all scenes that he's in, with a charisma as big as both his parents' (Jada Pinkett-Smith is his real life mother) his naturality is amazing, far away from those "genius kids" who look more like small adults saying fake lines all the time.

But the film slips. In portraying Chris' ex-wife as a cold hearted woman who gave up her husband and her son without much of a fight and on the ammount of "convenient coincidences", such as allowing Chris to see (three times) in a big city, the very same people who stole from him earlier.

But still The Pursuit of Happyness is an entretaining film with a nice message, and most important of all, it's not corny.

8/10