The Pursuit of Happyness

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) Will Smith, Thandie Newton and Jaden Smith.

One of Will Smith’s Best movies.

The Pursuit of Happyness is the true story of Christopher Gardner who went from down and out, to become a successful stockbroker and financier.

This film pulls at heartstrings at every turn and yet it is not sentimental drivel, instead, it is the story of a courage and determination. Chris Gardner’s (Will Smith) wife Linda (Thandie Newton) is unhappy, seemingly about every aspect of their marriage, she nags Chris continually. She finally leaves him and their child . Newton’s time on screen is negligible, but the time that she is on screen, she is venomous. Her attitude pretty much shows where Gardner is at this time in his life. In addition to loosing his wife, Chris also looses his apartment. He and his son have to face and live on the mean streets of San Francisco, but his faith and belief in himself are amazingly strong.

Chris Gardner goes from a man who had a relatively decent life, to eating at soup kitchens and sleeping in a toilet stall. At one point, he has fight to keep his place in line for a slot to sleep in a shelter. Some of the scenes in this movie can rip your heart out, while others make you smile at Gardner’s extraordinary bold faith in himself. The one thing the man does have is style, he sees what he wants and goes after it. What he wants is a chance to become a stockbroker at Dean Witter. When he goes to apply for an internship, he looks around the room at others awaiting the same opportunity and knows that he must do something special to get his foot in the door. If Gardner is anything, he is honest with himself; he accepts that he may not be able to compete on paper, so he decides to give the powers-that-be something more impressive than his resume. In the presence of those who hold his future in their hands, Gardner manages to solve a Rubik's Cube and get invited to a golf club outing, all the while pitching for a Dean Witter internship. Along the way, he teaches his son to believe in himself and to never let anyone, even his father, tell that he cannot do something. Gardner has to remember that sentiment time after time, while he is studying and trying to keep up with interns who eat regularly and sleep in real beds.

While The Pursuit of Happyness is not a two-hanky tearjerker, it does call for one hanky. Moviegoers with the strongest resolve will break, when they see some of the trials and tribulations Chris Gardner goes through to gain a good life for his son and himself. This is an uplifting and feel-good film. Nevertheless, I suggest that you read the book The Pursuit of Happyness for a more rounded picture of Christopher Gardner.

With Fresh Prince of Bel-Air still being shown on some channels, it is not difficult to imagine Will Smith where he is today. His talent showed back then. However, Smith has something bigger going for him than his huge talent; he seems to be a really nice guy. The role of Chris Gardner fits Will Smith very well. Smith produced this fine film and received an Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.

Others in the cast: Dan Castellaneta, Kurt Fuller, George Cheung, Brian Howe, Michael Silverman, Kevin West and Takayo Fischer.

Vannie Ryanes, <br />
Classic Film Maven

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

This real life storyof an ordinary man, sticking to his guts for the sake of his child and making it, is simply one of the most inspirational movies ever.  Will Smith was a likable actor who became a good actor, but with this? He graduated to great actor.  Even if he hasn’t given us anything as memorable since. Though he still remains extremely likable: the planet’s last standing movie star.

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THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (2006)

BOTTOM LINE: A touching and heart-warming story, inspired by a true account, of a man who hits rock bottom but manages to pull through and become the embodiment of the American Dream with his positivity and determination, all in service of protecting the welfare of his son and provide as a father.

THE GOOD: Although this is a story about living the American Dream, it is in essence a dream that almost any one can relate to having, if not the specifics of what happens to the lead character of Chris Gardner (Will Smith). He is a struggling father who is trying to keep his family together by selling bone density scanners that hospitals do not really need. When the money starts drying up, things become desperate for Gardner with his wife leaving him, becoming evicted from his flat, and forcing himself to re-evaluate his life and how to succeed. He decides to take an internship at a brokerage firm that leads to a promise of employment. Eventually Gardner succeeds, but not before a vast array of challenges, pitfalls and dark moments test his resolve in coming through the other side to live the dream of success. Will Smith does an excellent job at portraying the positivity and resilience of his character, particularly when placed in some harsh situations such as taking refuge in a subway toilet overnight with his son as they have no where to sleep. Smith’s own son Jaden plays Gardner’s son in the film which proves to be a masterstroke as the chemistry between them works perfectly, and Jaden Smith proves to be a rather good actor in his own right. Thandie Newton does well as Gardner’s wife who cannot take the pressure of such a hard life. Director Gabriele Muccino manages to create an honest and natural looking film that does an excellent job of pulling you in to Gardner’s heart-felt journey. Muccino’s best moment is the staging of the climax. Gardner is pulled in to the head office at the brokerage firm to be told he has the job. The emotion Smith conveys, coupled with a fantastic shot of Gardner walking out in to the street, overwhelmed by the knowledge that he has succeeded while the masses walk by like drones is a profound statement on appreciating what you have and never taking for granted the basics like having a roof over your head or worrying about where your next meal is going to come from.

THE BAD: The only issue with “The Pursuit of Happyness” is more a perception of what the story might be, particularly if you had seen the previews. Going in to this film you might be forgiven for thinking that you might go through the emotional wringer with Gardner but somehow there is a lightness to the film that is unexpected. Although this works well in certain sequences to highlight the positivity of Gardner’s character, it does undercut some of the dramatic weight of the darker sequences where Gardner hits rock bottom. As a result, although the climax is powerful, the emotional impact is less powerful simply because the execution is not filled with the big ups and downs that could have been made a part of this story.

RATING: 7.5/10

Todd Murphy <br />
http://www.allaboutmovies.net

The Pursuit of Happyness

In the end, it's all about Will Smith

The Gist

Based on a true story, Will Smith plays Chris Gardner, whose life was almost a rag-to-riches story. Smith’s real life son, Jaden, plays Chris’s son; which explains the comfortable chemistry between the two of them. We also get to see Thandie Newton as Chris’s wife in her almost-skeletal body structure.

What Do I Think?

Powerful indeed. The story is really about Chris Gardner, of how the most difficult struggles are magnified onto one man alone. Viewers whom have caught HK film All About Ah Long would find it easier relating to this story; both have solid stories about single-father son relationships.

I can’t help but to observe that Will Smith is making this film with only one intention: to get an Oscar. Seems that 99% of the story revolves around him. There were rave reviews about Jaden but upon watching the film, I find that he’s just so-so. Smith Sr? He is well slightly above so-so.

Smith squeezes the heaviest drama elements out of his pores into this one to ultimately create one effect: for the viewers to care about his character. The film’s screenplay makes it work well. The entire buildup leads to a climatic finale which relies on the foundation that was laid earlier: the audiences’ rooting for the Gardner’s strife. Since it was based on a true story, we all knew how the ending would be, yet the anti-surprise still brilliantly executed the anticipated celebration symptoms.

This time around, the villain is the world itself.

Rating: 6/10

Notes

Many of the events occurred in Gardner’s life are dramatized with minor exaggerations to add intensity to the script.

Check out the real Chris Gardner:

1. Gardner's internship wasn't unpaid. The salary's $1000 a month.
2. Gardner never invested in the bone-scanning devices, he just worked as a sales rep for the company that sells them.
3. At the end of the movie, the real Chris Gardner walks past Will and Jaden as they make knock-knock jokes.

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Last updated: 2009-08-11 21:48:25 by joekhor