Synopsis
Chris Gardner is doing all he can to provide a normal life for his family. But the problem is, his only job is selling over-expensive bone-density scanners that doctors think to be a luxury. Taxes are overdue three months and the apartment bill is getting bigger. So when his wife leaves to go to New York and leaves Chris and their son, Christopher behind, they have no way of paying for their apartment anymore.
So in hopes of getting a better job, he decides to apply for an internship as a stockbroker at Dean Witter. Chris eventually gets the chance, but finds out that the internship doesn’t pay, and only one out of twenty students are chosen to work at the company.
Chris then finds a high point in the hard times. He gets the opportunity to move into a motel where he and his son are comfortable. Christopher gets the opportunity to go to a football game with one of Chris‚ clients. But the letter comes one day with the news that the $600 have been removed from his bank account in order to pay his taxes.
With hardly any money and a son to support, Chris is forced to move out of the motel and onto the streets. So every day, he must make it to the homeless shelter by five so he can secure a room to sleep in.
But things start to get better. Chris sells his last bone-density scanner and is able to live off the money for a while. He heightens his chances with Dean Witter by securing a steady income from people he met at the football game, putting him in the running for the job that he needs so desperately.
Review
The plot in this movie is very straightforward and predictable. However, the acting is phenomenal. Will Smith really puts you in the situations the character Chris Gardner has to face. You realize this in the scene when he is rushing to get into line for the shelter. His son drops his favorite toy but he keeps running. He starts to yell at his Christopher to keep running and tells him to stop whining about his toy. If that doesn’t convince you that he is a strong actor, I don’t know what will. And when he is sleeping on the floor of the bathroom. Hardly any words are said, but the expressions in his face are enough to move you to tears. Only a person actually going through those hardships could create a more convincing performance. The only real problem with this movie is that it has no subplots. It was focused wholly on the story of Chris Gardener fighting for a chance to actually be something. But don’t think that’s reason not to see it. If nothing else, it is worth seeing just because of Will Smith and his son.
So in hopes of getting a better job, he decides to apply for an internship as a stockbroker at Dean Witter. Chris eventually gets the chance, but finds out that the internship doesn’t pay, and only one out of twenty students are chosen to work at the company.
Chris then finds a high point in the hard times. He gets the opportunity to move into a motel where he and his son are comfortable. Christopher gets the opportunity to go to a football game with one of Chris‚ clients. But the letter comes one day with the news that the $600 have been removed from his bank account in order to pay his taxes.
With hardly any money and a son to support, Chris is forced to move out of the motel and onto the streets. So every day, he must make it to the homeless shelter by five so he can secure a room to sleep in.
But things start to get better. Chris sells his last bone-density scanner and is able to live off the money for a while. He heightens his chances with Dean Witter by securing a steady income from people he met at the football game, putting him in the running for the job that he needs so desperately.
Review
The plot in this movie is very straightforward and predictable. However, the acting is phenomenal. Will Smith really puts you in the situations the character Chris Gardner has to face. You realize this in the scene when he is rushing to get into line for the shelter. His son drops his favorite toy but he keeps running. He starts to yell at his Christopher to keep running and tells him to stop whining about his toy. If that doesn’t convince you that he is a strong actor, I don’t know what will. And when he is sleeping on the floor of the bathroom. Hardly any words are said, but the expressions in his face are enough to move you to tears. Only a person actually going through those hardships could create a more convincing performance. The only real problem with this movie is that it has no subplots. It was focused wholly on the story of Chris Gardener fighting for a chance to actually be something. But don’t think that’s reason not to see it. If nothing else, it is worth seeing just because of Will Smith and his son.
