Fridae

If you like inspiring dramas that celebrate the human spirit, get your ticket to the next screening of The Pursuit of Happyness quick. Featuring a powerful Oscar-nominated performance by Will Smith, it tells an emotional tale of paternal love and devotion, and it will have you rooting for Will and his son throughout the two heartwarming hours of the movie.

Based on a real-life story, Will plays a smart but struggling salesman who had used up all of his savings on "bone-density scanning" devices which he hopes to sell to hospitals for a profit. It turns out, however, that the medical devices are unnecessary extravagances for doctors, so Will gradually finds himself broke. Unable to take their tight financial circumstances, his wife (Thandie Newton) decides to leave Will and their 5-year-old son (played by Jaden, Smith's real son).

Will and Jaden are kicked out of their home and forced to sleep in homeless shelters and subway toilets. Will finally manages to get an internship with the brokerage firm but the internship is an unpaid one, so he has to struggle through six months before he can even be confirmed as an employees. Despite the uphill battle, he eventually triumphs against all odds and lives happily ever after with his son.

Now don't let the Hallmark-ish predictability of the plot fool you. The Pursuit of Happyness may be old-fashioned moviemaking but its old-fashioned moviemaking at its very best. The script, direction and performances are strong, and it's no wonder that the film performed so well at the US box-office last year.

Will is very convincing at the beleaguered man doing the best he can, but his son Jaden knows how to charm his way into your heart too. When the two are gazing affectionately into each other's eyes, you know that the real-life father and son team aren't faking it for a moment.