In his many action movies and the occasional romantic comedy, we’ve gotten used to Will Smith playing a character not too different from himself – cocky, confident and charming. It’s easy to forget that the man can actually act. The Pursuit of Happyness is a reminder.

Will plays Chris Gardner, a man who loses almost everything but never gives up. He's invested his life savings in the bone scanning equipment he struggles to sell; but he hasn't been able to make that investment work. Unable to take anymore, his wife Linda (Thandie Newton) leaves Chris and their son Christopher (Jaden Smith) to fend for themselves. Things go from bad to worse when Gardner is evicted. Along the way, he finds out about a competitive internship offered at Dean Witter. He’s a smart guy with an uncanny gift for numbers and feels that this 1 in 20 opportunity is the answer he’s been looking for. The only problem is that no one told him that the internship was unpaid. Gardner struggles to keep up with his competitors by day and struggles to keep a roof over his son’s head by night. The movie’s most poignant scene is captured in the previews when Gardner and his son must sleep in a subway bathroom.

The Pursuit of Happyness (the misspelling is intentional and based on a sign at a children’s day care) is not a movie based on plot twists and unexpected turns. We all know - even before we buy a ticket - how this story will end. So the focus becomes on how we arrive at that ending.

Smith has already been nominated for a Golden Globe for this performance. He acts and he acts well – capturing the desperation and determination of a man resolved to make a better life for himself and his son. Smith’s real-life son Jaden does a good job as well and he gets to do more than just stand there and be cute. The father and son rapport comes across on screen making their scenes believable. But make no mistake, it's Smith and his performance that make this movie stand out.

Poor Thandie Newton! She had the thankless task of playing a very shrill and impossible character. I understand that the character of Linda is the one that left and walked out. But the way she is portrayed in the film is so one-sided that it bordered on unbelievable.

Having said that, The Pursuit of Happyness does exactly what it set out to do … eventually. It’s an uplifting story but it takes you far down before it comes up. But it does come up. When we arrive at that happy ending, we feel like we’ve weathered the storm with Gardner and his son. We’re drained and exhausted but ultimately satisfied.