The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Second lead in this movie: a bone density scanner with the worst luck in San Francisco. Will Smith hauls that gray box all over town, somebody runs off with it, he chases it down the street, and you start rooting for the machine. The bigger problem is the script. It stacks setback on setback so tightly that after a while it plays like a checklist of hard days instead of a life, and the score keeps nudging you to cry. What saves it is the Smiths. Jaden Smith is a real kid, not a movie kid, and the scenes where Will quietly tries to keep his son from noticing how bad things are hit hard because nobody yells. The Rubik’s Cube ride in the cab is the best scene in it. It made $307 million worldwide, so clearly people needed this one. A 6.9 because the performances are honest even when the script pushes too hard. $981 says you look up what a bone density scanner costs before the movie is even over.

What works: Will Smith and Jaden Smith have real father and son chemistry, and the quiet scenes where Chris hides how bad things are hit the hardest.

What doesn’t: The script piles setback on setback so relentlessly that the hardship starts to feel engineered, and the score pushes every emotion twice.

Who it’s for: Anyone who needs a reminder that showing up every single day counts, and people who like their dramas heavy on persistence.