2. Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness
Starting with his Fresh Prince of Bel-Air days, then moving on to become a major Hollywood action star in films such as Independence Day and Men in Black, seeing Will Smith competently take on the lead role in a dramatic awards season film was a bit of a shock to many. This led to what I believe to be grading on the curve for his performance in The Pursuit of Happyness. Rave review after rave review poured in all singing the praises of the rapper-turned-actors compelling portrayal of the true-life story of Chris Gardner, a man who went from a struggling salesman, to a homeless man on the streets with his son (played by Will Smith's real life son, Jaden), to finally, a wealthy stockbroker. It's an amazing story that is perfectly set up for the Hollywood schmultz treatment, which the movie does dabble in, although not to the extent of some of its contemporaries (The Blind Side anyone?). This tendency to trifle in the trite is unfortunately not only true of the movie however, but at times, also of Mr. Smith's performance. Instead of being a man doing his best to deal with the circumstances life has given him, in certain parts of the film he feels more like a man who knows, we know, that he knows, he is in tough a bind. It's a typical problem in melodrama, and as much as I would like to say that Mr. Smith avoids this pitfall, he does not completely. It is by no means a weak performance though, and when it works, it works well, which makes the adoring reviews understandable. Will Smith has always seemed to be a go-getter (which you would have to be to go from rap star all the way up to genuine Hollywood stardom), and this natural independent attitude is exactly what is called for the portrayal of Chris Gardner, a man who is obviously infused with the intangible entrepreneurial spirit. The relationship between Smith and his son is also very convincing and natural, which is no doubt helped by the real life rapport between Will and his son Jaden. It doesn't reach the heights of say Ryan and Tatum O'Neal in Paper Moon, but it certainly feels more natural and authentic than the father-sons most recent pairing, After Earth, which just monumentally tanked at the U.S. box office. Smith has always seemed one more concerned with his persona as a movie star than his reputation as an actor (which, because he wouldn't get to kill a bad guy, is why he turned down the lead in Tarantinos smash Slavery-Western, Django Unchained). Due to this, I, along with many others no doubt, will always be dubious of his attempts to really act in any serious manner, but overall, his performance as Chris Gardner is a fine one, and a performance Smith should be pleased with.