Business…here’s why I can no longer hate on Kobe Bryant. Yeah, I was included in the group of haters. Just didn’t wanna use the first-person in the piece.
So I went on a matinee date to see The Pursuit of Happyness. It seemed worth checking out from the commercials, but I admit I was a bit leery when my girlfriend saw a couple of her friends at the mall they said they went to see it because of the glowing recommendation given by Oprah’s audience. I’m not an Oprah hater, but ehhh…
Anyway, the movie was really good. Had a couple of qualms with it–namely the implicit statement that dude’s wife was wrong to leave him when he wasn’t putting food on the table, which is as good a reason as any to end a marriage–but it was a feel good movie. Never bad to see people making their dreams happen.
But I left that movie with even more respect for Will Smith. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become better able to appreciate adult Will. No black actor, not even Denzel Washington, has been able to build a career with the range Will’s has. In fact, I’d say that few actors of any kind have been able to do what Will does–pretty much what he wants. He’s decided what sort of image he wants to convey in his movies, and he’s a bankable enough brand that he can bring those things to screen. And he’s talented enough to make those characters cool and endearing.
Pretty much, he’s won the game of life. Great job, making good money, beautiful woman that he seems to actually enjoy being around, and seems to be able to do so without compromising himself.
Think about it. How many people have been able to make the transition from goofy child-star–and his time as a rapper counts as child stardom–into this sort of stardom as an adult? I really can’t think of anybody, and I surely can’t think of anyone black.
So props to the man on a good movie. But respect to the man on an admirable career.