PG-13 | 1h 57min | Biography, Drama | 15 December 2006 (USA)
The Pursuit of Happyness
IMDb 8.0/10
A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career.
Storyline
Based on a true story about a man named Christopher Gardner. Gardner has invested heavily in a device known as a "bone density scanner". He feels like he has it made selling these devices. However, they do not sell well as they are marginally better than x-ray at a much higher price. As Gardner works to make ends meet, his wife leaves him and he loses his apartment. Forced to live out in the streets with his son, Gardner continues to sell bone density scanners while concurrently taking on an unpaid internship as a stockbroker, with slim chances for advancement to a paid position. Before he can receive pay, he needs to outshine the competition through 6 months of training, and to sell his devices to stay afloat.
Written by John Wiggins, Alf Fonz
Cast & Crew
Will Smith
Chris Gardner
Jaden Smith
Christopher Gardner, Jr.
Thandiwe Newton
Linda Gardner
Brian Howe
Jay Twistle
Dan Castellaneta
Alan Frakesh
James Karen
Martin Frohm
Gabriele Muccino
Director
Steve Conrad
Writer
Chris Gardner
Walking Man in Business Suit
THE MESSAGE BEHIND "THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS"
Admiring a Car
On his way to his usual sales calls, he sees a man who pulls up in an expensive sports car. The man heads to his office, leaving Chris amidst a sea of smiling stock brokers, wondering to himself: “They all look so damn happy to me. Why couldn’t I look like that?” That thinking is coming from a person who has not gone to a college! And we, who have all the necessities of life (luxuries too, for many) often get satisfied with as little as a Facebook like. I am not saying we need to be greedy, but we must not let mediocrity become integral to all parts of our life.
Rubik's Cube
We see that Chris Gardner is now thinking beyond sales. He wants to be a stockbroker. But as mentioned earlier, he doesn’t even have a college education. So, what can he do to fulfill his new-found dream? Chris waits multiple times to have the opportunity to talk to Jay who is with the Resource Head of Dean Witter, a stockbroking firm. Chris had seen a flyer about an internship offered by the firm, whereby he could become a stockbroker. He knew his application would not even be considered so he wanted to personally convince the man about his potential.
Arriving at the Interview
Now Chris finally goes to the interview for the internship but arrives in sweatpants and a wife beater, ideally one would be all suited up for an occasion like this. The night before this interview, Chris’ wife had left him, frustrated by their financial problems. Add to that the fact that the landlord wanted to throw Chris out but had agreed to let him stay for a week more if Chris painted the house, which was what he was doing when the police knocked on his door and arrested him for not paying numerous parking tickets. He was only released the next morning. And he ran to the office for the interview.
Htting the Rock Bottom
Chris just became homeless has now where to go and nowhere to sleep, has his son with him and you can just see his freaking out, his son tells him that the machine isn’t a time machine to which Chris responds that it is. He uses their imagination to travel to a time where dinosaurs still roam the earth, and they escape to a cave for safety. That cave was a public bathroom where they spend the night, that night his son slept in his arms, Chris was covering his ears so he didn’t hear the people trying to come in and with one of his legs secures the door, so they couldn’t.
Basketball and Dream
This is probably the best scene in the movie. It’s a Saturday and Chris takes his son to play basketball. He tells his son, that there will be things in which he can excel but basketball is not one of them. Hearing this, his son is disappointed and starts packing the ball. Chris realizes his mistake and says the following words which become the soul of the movie: “Don’t ever let someone tell you, you can’t do something. Not even me. You got a dream, you got to protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you, you can’t do it. You want something, go get it. Period. All right?”
This is called Happyness
Even at the lowest point of his life, he maintained the illusion that he was just as much a viable candidate as the other interns who had homes and all the luxuries of modern-day businessmen. He never stopped doubting himself, and confidence is a major part of the recipe of success. HAPPYNESS is not money, but happiness is seeing your life stable, your child happy, and your future bright. Sometimes we need money to make us happy, but it’s not the money itself, but what the money brings us, and no one is just going to bring us money but you have to go out and achieve it, and pursue your own HAPPYNESS.
Frequently Asked Question
Some Inspiring Facts About The Pursuit Of Happyness.
Why is Happiness spelled wrong in the title?
The word happiness in the title is deliberately misspelled, just as it was on the wall of a day care center where Gardner once sought care for his young son, Chris Jr., during some of his worst days." Chris (Will Smith) even points out the misspelling to the Chinese care-giver that the mural decorating his son's daycare is spelled incorrectly. Chris wanted to make sure that his son was taught things the correct way, so that he could grow up to be an educated man and make something great of himself. Chris took offense to the fact that the world happiness was spelled wrong on the wall and became irritated by it. But the word comes to signify Chris' own pursuit of happiness happyness.Is there a real Chris Gardner?
The Pursuit of Happyness is based on the real story of a Milwaukee-born man named Paul Gardner (born February 9, 1954), who struggled in the early 1980s to make ends meet while raising his toddler son. Just as Chris Gardner in the movie, played impeccably by Will Smith, the real story of Christopher Gardner is one about overcoming hardship to eventually become successful in life. This story is a true inspiration and serves as a prime example of how we must overcome difficulties, not be overcome by them.Are any of the co-stars related?
One of the most remarkable facts about The Pursuit of Happyness is that it actually stars father and son in real life as well. If you wonder how the two main characters were able to pull off such a realistic connection as father and son, this is the answer! Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith play the roles of Christopher Gardner and his son Christopher Jarrett Medina Gardner.
Did the wife of Gardner ever return?
No, she didn't return.I think it was suggested from the plot that there came a point of no-return where she couldn't take it anymore and moved on. She had also left his son behind with Gardner and that was quite surprising as she had a job unlike her husband. She knew it very well that she was in a position to give their son a better life as compared to her husband at that moment of time. It was like leaving everything associated with him whether it was her own son. She moved on with her life and Gardner has also accepted that fact.
What is the Timeline of the movie?
- 1981 - Chris Gardner invests in scanners
- Jan 1, 1982 - Chris Gardner sends his application to Jay Twistle
- Feb 2, 1982 - Chris Gardner talks to Jay Twistle and solves a rubiks cube in a Taxi
- Mar 3, 1982 - Linda leaves Chris
- May 5, 1982 - Chris goes to jail
- Jun 6, 1982 - Chris gets invited to the internship
- Jul 7, 1983 - Chris completes the internship
How did Chris Gardner become so rich?
The movie ends when Christopher Gardner is offered a full-time job at the company he followed the internship training. This moment is basically only the start of the major change in Gardner’s life, the moment he can finally provide for his son and live a normal life. After a 5-year career working as an employee in a brokerage firm, he decided to set up his own brokerage company called “Gardner Rich & Co,” in Chicago, Illinois. “Rich” in the company name refers to “Marc Rich”, who Gardner considered being one of the most successful futures traders in history. The man wasn’t associated with the company in any way though.
Was there any Oscar nomination?
Yes, Will Smith was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Actor.Did the real Chris Gardner appear in the movie?
Yes, the real Chris Gardner had a short appearance in the movie. At the very end of the movie, the real Chris Gardner walks confidently past Will Smith and Jaden. Will Smith briefly looks back and smiles at him as he and his son leisurely stroll around the streets of San Francisco.
What lessons can we learn from this movie?
This movie has taught me many life lessons. Some are:-- Believe in yourself even if others don't believe in you.
- Set-backs should not stop you from rising.
- Never give up and keep trying.
- Importance of RELATIONSHIPS. A beautiful father and son relationship is shown in the movie.
- DREAM.