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Tuesday, December 05, 2006
The Difference Between Me and Will SmithThe difference between Will Smith and me isn't obvious... until you see the preview for his new movie, The Pursuit of Happyness.
At first I thought that trailer made me cry because it was a heartwarming story with a sad little boy and sad music. But no. I realized, upon a careful third viewing this weekend, that the trailer makes me cry because the father character in this movie is such a horrible person.
Maybe I'm wrong and the movie's going to be brilliant, but this is what I'm getting from the trailer regarding the movie's plot:
1. Will Smith's character's wife leaves him, and he becomes a single dad.
2. Will Smith's character loses his job, and subsequently gets evicted.
3. Either before or after #2 above, Will Smith's character is impressed by the stockbroker lifestyle and the fancy sportscars it entails.
4. Will Smith's character is unable to get an office job, but he does get an internship at Dean Witter.
5. Will Smith's character and his son are homeless, living in public restrooms, while Will Smith's character behaves passionately and erratically during his quest to become a stockbroker.
6. [Assumed - not shown in trailer:] Will Smith's character succeeds and becomes a stockbroker and gets rich and teaches his son that he, too, can be anything if he just tries hard enough.
See, that's the difference between Will Smith and me. I wouldn't be in a movie about a man who lets his son be homeless in order to become a rich stockbroker.
Because, if my son and I were facing potential homelessness, I'd take any damn job I could to keep that from happening. Even if it meant I couldn't eventually afford a fancy sportscar.
I guess that's why I'm not starring in any movies, though. Silly me.
Speaking of Pretty Cars
A woman in my neighborhood drives a black Infiniti G35. I see her every morning and afternoon, during my commute. And now I covet that car. It has a beautiful shape, for one, and there's something about the paint job on it that reflects the sky in the awesomest way. Or maybe she hand-waxes the car, and that makes the difference. I don't know.
Other cars I like this year: the Ford Mustang, the little Scion, and the Hyundai Sonata. I kind of like the Dodge Charger, too. It's brutish, but still kind of cool.
However, I really don't care if I drive a pretty car or not. Practicallity is more important to me. I texted all my friends Saturday and told them I got a minivan. Later, one of my friends left me a vmail expressing disbelief that I would pick something so not-awesome. But, dude... my Dodge Caravan is awesome. All my kids fit into it, and it gets better mileage than an SUV, and it was cheaper than the Toyota Sienna. Plus, I lucked out and found one with a V6 and 3.3 L. So it's strong and stable, too. I like the weight of it on the road. (I didn't like the Chevy Uplander at all.) And did I tell y'all? It was cheap.
It's enough for me to look at someone else's G35 once in a while. I don't need to own one, myself. And I don't care what people think when they look out the window at me. I only care about what's inside... my minivan.
Labels: pop culture
9:18 AM #Comments:
The first car I owned was my parents' old Plymouth Voyager minivan. I was 22. I loved it. My friends called me Soccer Mom but I didn't care. I named it She-Hulk. It kicked ass.# posted by
Wendy : 1:11 PM
Yes, I learned how to drive on my dad's old Plymouth as well. All my friends fit into it, so it was like a party every time we went out. Kinda cool if you think about it.
About the Will Smith thing: I know what you're saying, but I think the way the trailers made it look wasn't at all the way it really happened. Plus, I think he wanted the best for his child so that's what he did. I'm sure that's not everyone's way of going about getting a job...but I'm guessing it eventually worked for him.
# posted by
Datty : 8:16 PM
When I saw the trailer I got pissed off. Because the message I got was, happiness= money.
Everyone has told me about what a great movie it is, the message it sends and how it is based on a true story.
Of what? A guy who got excited about the possibility of being able of one day own a fancy car and become economically stable (or beyond that)? And he made his son and himself go through the turmoil of being homeless and...
I'll just shut up now. You know what I mean.
# posted by
LC : 1:15 PM
I was in Houston yesterday and I thought to myself "dangit, why didn't I email Gwen and ask her for directions to a good place around 290 and 610 for lunch??" Instead I went to Panera and got to witness a grown woman throw a fit because they didn't offer her favorite sandwich anymore. Anyway - hi.
# posted by
LL : 11:04 AM
Wendy: Awesome. I need a name for my van now.
Dat: You mean you don't think they were homeless? Or that the sportscar wasn't a factor?
All I know is that, if I quit my day job in order to move to New York and write a bestselling novel, and made my kids homeless in the process... they wouldn't be making any movies about how awesome I am.
LC: Word up.
LL: Hi, back. (Next time go to Captain Benny's on 290 and Antoine/Mangum. Order the stuffed catfish, or else a bowl of gumbo.)
# posted by
Gwen : 11:24 AM
No, they were homeless and they did live in a public restroom for a short period of time. But the whole sportscar thing, I think that was blown out of proportion and it was just used in the movie to show his motivation. (not to say that he wanted to move from being homeless to owning a Ferrari)
Basically he placed very high goals for himself and there was probably stuff that happened to him to cause him to lose his job due to frustrating circumstances. Like he wasn't good enough and he wanted to prove to the world that he was. Like I said, it makes for a good movie.
# posted by
Datty : 1:41 PM
Here is what the description of the movie says:
Chris Gardner is a bright and talented, but marginally employed salesman. Struggling to make ends meet, Gardner finds himself and his five-year-old son evicted from their San Francisco apartment with nowhere to go. When Gardner lands an internship at a prestigious stock brokerage firm, he and his son endure many hardships, including living in shelters, in pursuit of his dream of a better life for the two of them.
# posted by
Datty : 1:46 PM
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