My wife and I came out of this movie with the same question: how can a film based on such an extraordinary true story be so disappointing? The film has high production values: good acting, good cinematography. But there's a weak link, and it's this: the screenplay! There is no story density here, nothing beyond a single thread that we quickly understand, and after that everything is repetition, repetition, repetition, and finally it gets old and, yes, boring. What this film needs are some twists and surprises along the way.
Why didn't anybody catch this in development? Maybe for some reason there was too much reliance on the "true" story at the expense of the "dramatic" film. Or maybe the fact that the writer and director are the same person reduced the usual amount of collaboration that goes into fine-tuning a script, the writer/director being blind to his own faults. Whatever it was, everything wrong with this movie, which feels long and repetitive, begins with the screenplay.
From Fortune magazine, here's an article on
the incredible story of Chris Gardner.
3 comments:
I have only now seen the film and thought you should know that the director and screenwriter are two different people. I thought the writing excellent.
I think the repetition kind of reflects life as well as Will's character's struggle. He has to face challenges again and again. Its about his persistence and tenacity, hence "pursuit" of happyness
This movie is one of my favorites. I especially love the story, because it is true, and not just another "marketable" film. Life isn't always deep plots, twists, and surprises. It's life. Sometimes boring, sometimes depressing. But always true. And I personally wouldn't want to live a lie.
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