What a story. Moving. Inspiring. Powerful. It's a story of determination, love, dignity, overcoming odds, grit, a father's undying commitment to his son, and a real life happy ending. This movie is based on the true story of Chris Gardner (played by Will Smith), who went from penniless living, a wife who abandoned him, to a successful businessman all the while raising his son as a single dad. From being kicked out his home to living in homeless shelters, even bathrooms in a train station, Chris Gardner's first priority was always to be a father to his little boy despite the intense pressure to become a stock broker with Dean Witter, where only 1/20 got hired. Having never seen his dad until he was 28, Chris' mission is to break the cycle of fatherlessness.
The dynamic between Will Smith and his real life son in the movie (who plays Chris' son) is magical and amazing. The power is in the details, expressions, nuanced interplay. This is not one of those wham-bang or special effects action movies, or one of those throw-away comedy films. It's just fantastic acting revolving around a great story. One of my top five favorite movies of all time. So many themes that converge, it's hard to describe them all. From a preachers perspective, you could probably get five sermons out of this movie.
Buy the DVD. It's a great family investment that will be watched many times.