“I met my father for the first time when I was 28 years old. When I had children, they were going to know who their father was.”

This, the opening line of the new film “The Pursuit of Happyness,” is what this movie is really all about: family.

This true story, set in San Francisco and based upon the life of self-made millionaire Chris Gardner, stars Will Smith in the lead role as a man in his early 30s who is trying to make ends meet for his family.

Chris sells expensive medical equipment, an unfortunate business venture which he invested his family’s life savings into unaware that the equipment would be ill-received by most medical professionals, and money is running out.

Thandie Newton (“Crash”) plays Chris’ wife Linda, while Smith’s son Jaden Smith plays Chris and Linda’s son Christopher, a preschool aged child.

With things looking bleak and little hope for their life to get better, Linda can’t take the pressure anymore and pronounces that she is moving to New York.

Chris’ determination to see his son grow up and for his son to know him leaves him as a single dad with a mountain of bills, no car and three months rent due.

The hits keep on coming as the father and son are evicted from their apartment and are forced to survive with no income and nowhere to turn. Their lowest moment comes when Chris and his son find themselves spending the night in a metro station bathroom.

Chris refuses to give up or to be separated from his son, and his resilience and resolve land him an internship with a prestigious brokerage firm. The four month internship is highly competitive, it doesn’t pay and there are no guarantees for employment when the internship ends.

Chris spends the four months working hard at the brokerage firm each day and studying each night, making sure his son has everything he can provide him with; he spends his weekends hauling medical equipment and Christopher to hospitals and doctors offices around the city to try and sell his remaining inventory, all while making it to the local homeless shelter each night in time to reserve a bed for him and his son.

Through it all, Chris strives to set an example and show love to his child. The film doesn’t try to turn a real man into a fictional representation of perfection, but rather demonstrates the struggles and triumphs that this family faced.

Eight year old Jaden Smith brilliantly portrays the smart and strong Christopher. His performance is comfortable and heart-wrenching as a kid who tries to be tough in the midst of a bad situation but who can’t always be brave.

I’m sure that having his real father play his onscreen dad helped make his performance so believable, and, while it’s a long shot, rumors have circulated that this could be the first father-son nominations for an individual film in Academy Award history.

Will Smith gives a mature performance as a man at his breaking point. The depth of his performance left me feeling like I wanted to go out and find another Chris Gardner out there. Someone smart, hard working and determined, who just needs a little help to begin climbing his way to the top.

Chris Gardner isn’t perfect. His situation caused him to act in ways that I am sure he wishes he could take back. But he didn’t give up, he didn’t blame anyone else for his situation and he climbed inch by inch up out of the depths of despair. Chris Gardner is now a millionaire.

While the film will surely inspire audiences to follow their dreams and to make something of themselves, the real message lies in Chris’ resolve to keep his family together.

While this film is rated PG-13 for some language, it’s safe to say that this is one families will enjoy seeing together. That’s more than I can say for most of the movies playing on the silver screen these days.

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