THAT'S AMORE.

Byline: - Glenn Whipp

When Will Smith called Italian director Gabriele Muccino at his home in Rome last year, Muccino thought at first it was a friend playing a prank. When Smith asked Muccino, who has never made an American film, to direct his latest, ``The Pursuit of Happyness,'' Muccino was sure it was a joke.

``It was so out of the blue,'' Muccino says from Rome. ``It was too much for my head to imagine. Why does this guy want me? There are so many great American directors. I couldn't figure it out then, and I can't figure it out now.''

Here's a hint -- he's pretty good. Muccino's movies -- ``Remember Me My Love'' and ``The Last Kiss'' (which Zach Braff just remade) -- home in on the ambivalence inherent in love and marriage. With ``The Pursuit of Happyness,'' he broadens his range, telling the true story of a struggling salesman who takes custody of his son just as he's facing tremendous personal and professional changes.

Smith's own son, 8-year-old Jaden, plays the kid in question. Did Big Willie give Muccino any grief about directing his kid?

``I think once Will was into the scenes, he forgot he was acting with his son,'' Muccino says. ``I'm sure when he thinks about it now -- he sees it as a pretty special experience he'll never forget.''

Muccino feels that way about the movie, too.

``It's such an American movie,'' Muccino says. ``I mean, it's about the American dream, right? For an Italian director, to bring my ideas to such themes, that was a brave choice Will Smith made.''

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``THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS''

Jaden Smith and Will Smith Dec. 15