Very good movie! I've watched it a few times on HBO. The movie was emotional for me. I felt really bad and down when they had to sleep in the subway restroom, and when his boss, i forgot the name, borrowed $5 and it was his last $5 but I really felt happy when he was awarded the job and he succeeded are all his hardships. Its very inspirational too that when you really work hard, you will get rewarded in life.
The part that impresses me the most is the sweat. In the movie Smith is frequently sweaty and probably smelly, from working HARD. You can sense his intensity throughout the movie. It clearly gives the impression that Chris Gardner worked hard and sacrificed much to get where he wanted to be. Great and uncommon work ethic these days.
I've watched it. It was a heartfelt movie, to be sure. At times, sorry for the unpopular opinion, at times I felt it was too "supposed" to be touchy feeling that it came out as contrieved. But one thing is for certain, if a movie has touched you, you will be the one to defend it against the critics. One problem I have with it is replayability. The problem is that once you know the movie, you aren't in the mood to keep seeing it. At least I felt like that. Anyone cares to share in broader detail than "What it reads in the tin"?