Kudos to Will Smith for his excellent portrayal of Chris Gardner. His son also plays the same role on screen and is really loveable. This movie is about trying to be happy, even in adverse circumstances, keeping your faith in your ability and believing that you will one day succeed in your goal.
The basic plot of the movie is a regular person who has been ditched by his wife, going broke(he even cant pay for his parking tickets) add to that the responsibility of his small kid(whom he keeps with him on his own wish). But still he tries to be happy, keeping his inquisitive son happy. The trials and tribulations he faces are heart breaking.
Gardner(Will Smith) along with his wife(Thandie Newton) buys a few high density bone scanners which give slightly better results than a X-Ray machine but cost twice as much. His wife works as a maid in a hotel and earns a meager income which keeps the house running till he sells of these scanners. But the problem is that nobody wants to buy a scanner for such a high price. His son(Jaden Smith) is sent to a day care centre taken care by a woman. His son is very inquisitive and keeps hammering Chris with questions that sometimes embrass him(like "What does f mean?" or "Is it a bad word?").
Soon their financial condition goes from bad to worse, and then Chris’s wife leaves him. He soon is not able to pay his taxes or his house rent. He is thrown out of his house. In the meantime a chance meeting with a stock broker inspires him to become one. He joins an internship class of 20, with much difficulty, out of which only 1 person will get the job. His classmates borrow money from him, in one case his last 5 dollars, without knowing of his financial condition. On the other side he has to keep staying every night in a new place, and answer his son as well without letting him know about financial matters. Once they have to spend the night in a bathroom(he convinces his son that dinosaurs are hunting for them and they have to stay in a cave). The hardships he faces will make you cry. At a point in the movie you will think that conditions cant get worse but they do. But still then Chris keeps a brave face in this adverse condition. He doesnt let his classmates in the internship class know about his hardships.
When at last he gets the job, the expression in his face just says it all. This alone makes you cry.
My personal favorite scene from the movie is the interview Chris gives to join the internship class. He comes paint splattered without any shirt or jacket. The dialogues there are excellent. There also are a few funny moments in the movie when his bone density scanner is stolen and he runs after the thief.
You just have to watch the movie to believe me. Just go for it. Its a great movie. Perhaps the best movie I have ever seen.