An inspiring albeit grueling experience ___ 8/10

Written by Steve Conrad
Directed by Gabriele Muccino

Will Smith … Chris Gardner
Jaden Smith … Christopher
Thandie Newton … Linda
Brian Howe … Jay Twistle

Will Smith was nominated for an Oscar in his role as Chris Gardner, a struggling medical device salesman in 1980s’ San Francisco who one day gets the inspiration to better himself by becoming a stockbroker for Dean Witter Reynolds. Gardner is a real person who years later reaches his dream of fortune through his own investment firm, and even fame as a motivational speaker and philanthropist.

It all makes for an inspiring movie albeit a grueling one.  Like The Last of the Mohicans, the lead character finds himself seemingly in a constant full run—in Chris’s case either to catch a bus, put a dime in the parking meter, pick up his son Christopher at day care, meet an appointment, prevent his landlord from evicting him, and so on.

When not running at full-tilt boogie, Gardner encounters one major obstacle after another.

Sales of his network-marketed portable bone scanner are slow (yet it doesn’t stop a hippie chick or an old crazy man from trying to steal it), he’s behind on the rent, his wife Linda (Thandie Newton) leaves him, his son’s day care center pacifies the kids with daytime TV drivel and sugar treats, friends stiff him on debts they owe, the city impounds his car… and that’s in the first five minutes! Continue reading →