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Movie Review | 'The Pursuit of Happyness'

Climbing Out of the Gutter With a 5-Year-Old in Tow

By Manohla Dargis

• Dec. 15, 2006

A fairy tale in realist drag, “The Pursuit of Happyness” is the kind of entertainment that goes down smoothly until it gets stuck in your craw. Inspired by a true story, as they like to say in Hollywood, the film traces the fleeting ups and frightening downs of Chris Gardner, whose efforts to keep his family from sinking into poverty evolve into a life-and-death struggle of social Darwinian proportions. It’s the early 1980s, and while Ronald Reagan is delivering the bad economic news on television, Chris is about to prove you don’t need an army to fight the war on poverty, just big smiles and smarts, and really sturdy shoes. (It also helps that the star playing him is as innately sympathetic as Will Smith.)

Given how often Chris breaks into a run on the streets of San Francisco, it’s a good thing his shoes are well built; his lungs, too. Written by Steven Conrad and directed by Gabriele Muccino, “The Pursuit of Happyness” recounts how Chris, plagued by some bad luck, a few stupid moves and a shrew for a wife, Linda (Thandie Newton), loses his apartment and, with his 5-year-old, Christopher (Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, Mr. Smith’s own beautiful son), joins the ranks of the homeless, if not the hopeless. Evicted from the mainstream and bounced from shelter to shelter, Chris holds firm to his dignity, resolve, faith, love and independence. His optimism sweeps through the film like a searchlight, scattering clouds and dark thoughts to the wind.

It’s the same old bootstraps story, an American dream artfully told, skillfully sold. To that calculated end, the filmmaking is seamless, unadorned, transparent, the better to serve Mr. Smith’s warm expressiveness. That warmth feels truthful, as does the walk-up apartment Chris’s family lives in at the start of the film, which looks like the real paycheck-to-paycheck deal. As does the day care center, which is so crummy it can’t even get happiness right (hence the title).

This is no small thing, considering the film industry’s usual skewed sense of economic class, a perspective encapsulated by the insider who described the middle-class family in “Little Miss Sunshine” to me as working class, perhaps because the mother drives a gently distressed Miata rather than next year’s Mercedes.

Money matters in “The Pursuit of Happyness,” as it does in life. But it matters more openly in this film than it does in most Hollywood stories that set their sights on the poor, largely because Chris’s pursuit of happiness eventually becomes interchangeable with his pursuit of money. He doesn’t want just a better, more secure life for himself and his child; either by scripted design or by the example of the real Chris Gardner, he seems to yearn for a life of luxury, stadium box seats and the kind of sports car he stops to admire in one scene. His desires aren’t just upwardly mobile; they’re materialistically unbound. Instead of a nice starter home, he (and the filmmakers) ogles mansions. It’s no wonder he hopes to become a stockbroker.

That may sound like a punch line, at least to some ears, but it’s the holy grail in “The Pursuit of Happyness.” A self-starter, Chris has sunk all of the family’s money into costly medical scanners that he tries to sell to doctors and hospitals. But the machines are overpriced, and the sure thing he banked on has landed them in debt. Forced to work two shifts at a dead-end job, Linda angrily smolders and then rages at Chris, which seems reasonable since he has gambled all of their savings on an exceptionally foolish enterprise. (And, unlike her, he hasn’t signed up for overtime.) But this is a film about father love, not mother love, and Linda soon leaves the picture in a cloud of cigarette smoke and a storm of tears.

Chris and the filmmakers seem happy to see her go, but life only gets tougher once she and her paychecks disappear. Much of the film involves Chris’s subsequent efforts to keep himself and his child housed and fed while he is enrolled in an unpaid internship program at a powerful stock brokerage firm. Bright and ferociously determined, Chris easily slides into this fantastical world of shouting men, ringing phones, gleaming surfaces and benevolent bosses. He goes along to get along, and when one of his bosses asks for money to pay for a cab, he quickly opens his wallet. Chris himself stiffs another working man for some money because that wallet is so light. But this is a film about him, not the other guy.

How you respond to this man’s moving story may depend on whether you find Mr. Smith’s and his son’s performances so overwhelmingly winning that you buy the idea that poverty is a function of bad luck and bad choices, and success the result of heroic toil and dreams. Both performances are certainly likable in the extreme, though Mr. Smith shined brighter and was given much more to do when he played the title character in Michael Mann’s underrated “Ali.” That film proves an interesting comparison with this one, not in filmmaking terms, but in its vision of what it means to be a black man struggling in America. In one, a black man fights his way to the top with his fists; in the other, he gets there with a smile.

“The Pursuit of Happyness” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). It includes mild adult language and some parental fighting.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS

Opens today nationwide.

Directed by Gabriele Muccino; written by Steven Conrad; director of photography, Phedon Papamichael; edited by Hughes Winborne; music by Andrea Guerra; production designer, J. Michael Riva; produced by Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch James Lassiter and Will Smith; released by Columbia Pictures. Running time: 117 minutes.

WITH: Will Smith (Chris Gardner), Thandie Newton (Linda) and Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (Christopher).

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THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS

SUBJECTS — U.S./1945 – 1991; Diversity/African-American; Biography;

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING — Father/Son; Parenting; Surviving; Work/Career; with the student handout Episodes in the Life of Chris Gardner (What’s Not in the Movie) add: Alcohol & Drug Abuse; Breaking Out; Spousal Abuse; Child Abuse; Education; Ambition; Male Role Model.

MORAL-ETHICAL EMPHASIS — Responsibility; Caring.

AGE : 12+; MPAA Rating — PG-13 for some language;

Drama; 2006; 117 minutes; Color. Available from Amazon.com .

Give your students new perspectives on race relations, on the history of the American Revolution, and on the contribution of the Founding Fathers to the cause of representative democracy. Check out TWM’s Guide:

Benefits of the Movie Possible Problems Parenting Points Selected Awards & Cast

Helpful Background Discussion Questions Social-Emotional Learning Moral-Ethical Emphasis

Assignments and Projects Bridges to Reading Links to the Internet Bibliography

MOVIE WORKSHEETS & STUDENT HANDOUTS

TWM offers the following worksheets to keep students’ minds on the movie and direct them to the lessons that can be learned from the film.

Film Study Worksheet for Social Studies Classes for a Work of Historical Fiction and

Worksheet for Cinematic and Theatrical Elements and Their Effects .

Teachers can modify the movie worksheets to fit the needs of each class. See also TWM’s Historical Fiction in Film Cross-Curricular Homework Project .

A more complete description of the True Story can be found in TWM’s student handout: Episodes in the Life of Chris Gardner (What’s Not in the Movie) .

DESCRIPTION

In this movie, an African-American man, abandoned by his father as an infant, vows that he will always be present in the life of his child. Caught in a perfect storm of bad luck, he becomes homeless. However, he manages to take care of his son while pursuing a highly competitive, unpaid internship as a stockbroker. The film was “inspired by” events in the life of Christopher Gardner, who was once homeless. He is now a wealthy stockbroker, as well as a proud father.

This movie is highly engaging. The story is well-written, the production values are high, and Will Smith’s acting is simply magnificent.

SELECTED AWARDS & CAST

Selected Awards:

2007 Academy Awards Nominations – Best Actor (Will Smith).

Featured Actors:

Will Smith as Chris Gardner, Thandie Newton as Linda, and Jaden Christopher Syre Smith as Christopher.

Gabriele Muccino.

BENEFITS OF THE MOVIE

“The Pursuit of Happyness” shows a homeless African-American father taking responsibility for his child, while succeeding as a stockbroker. It also has excellent messages about the importance of keeping your cool in the face of incredible disappointment and provocation. Time after time, we watch as the protagonist masters his emotions and comes up gracious and smiling after being dealt a serious blow. As a result, he is often able to go back to the people involved and create an opportunity for himself.

However, almost everything else about this movie is, in some way, problematic, including its messages about living out your dream and the benefits of hard work. Pointing out the problems and discussing them will lead to valuable lessons about:

(1) the liberties with the facts that can be taken by filmmakers in a movie “inspired by a true story;”

(2) how the movie makers, in search of a dramatic storyline, ignored Mr. Gardner’s most important achievement, which was surviving physical and emotional abuse by his stepfather to become a caring and nurturing human being;

(3) the victimization of the homeless by criminals; the homeless are at great risk of being assaulted and robbed, but this never made it into the movie;

(4) how movies can gloss over troubling ethical questions raised by the true story

During the period that Mr. Gardner pursued the internship program his girlfriend had disappeared and taken his son; Mr. Gardner looked for them but couldn’t find them; after he had passed the broker’s exam and was working as a stockbroker, the girlfriend suddenly appeared and dropped off the boy; Mr. Gardner could have worked for another broker and earned enough money to put a roof over his son’s head but Mr. Gardner wanted to spend his time building his own clientele because this would allow him the chance to become rich faster than if he worked for someone else; working to build his own client base meant that Mr. Gardner wouldn’t be able to afford a place to live for a year or two; faced with a choice of providing a home for his son and putting off his dream of getting rich or being homeless for almost a year while he tried to build his own client base, Mr. Gardner chose to subject his son to the dangers of homelessness; in other words, he put his own interests ahead of his child’s safety;

(5) how “feel good” movies often feature Cinderella stories of extraordinary good fortune which, given the economic structure of our society, are unrealistic for all but one in a million [in other words, what does the rags to riches story shown in this movie say to a culturally deprived black or Hispanic young person growing up in a central city ghetto who has been socially promoted from one grade to the next and who is not a proficient reader?].

TeachWithMovies.org has prepared an 19-page handout, Episodes in the Life of Chris Gardner (What’s Not in the Movie),which provides fascinating information on the life of Chris Gardner and the many life lessons that can be derived from his story. It is designed as a reading exercise that will interest students. With the handout and the Discussion Questions in this Learning Guide, “The Pursuit of Happyness” can become an excellent learning experience.

POSSIBLE PROBLEMS

SUBSTANTIAL. See the Benefits section above. However, with the supplementary materials provided by this Learning Guide, each of these problems can be turned into a benefit.

There is a moderate amount of profanity in the film.

PARENTING POINTS

After watching the movie, suggest that you and your child “find out what really happened” by reading TWM’s student handout: Episodes in the Life of Chris Gardner (What’s Not in the Movie) . Then talk about some interesting incidents in Mr. Gardner’s life and go over a few of the Discussion Questions. Begin with Discussion Question #2

HELPFUL BACKGROUND

The True Story That Inspired the Movie

Right before he started the internship at Dean Witter, Chris Gardner’s girlfriend disappeared and took their son with her. Mr. Gardner’s efforts to find his son were fruitless. Dean Witter paid its interns $1000 a month. With that money, Mr. Gardner was able to rent a room in a boarding house. Therefore, when he had to prepare for the broker’s exam, Chris Gardner had a secure place to sleep and a quiet place to study. In addition, he didn’t have to take care of a young child.

Mr. Gardner did very well on the broker’s exam and was hired by Dean Witter. At that point, he had a choice. He could work for an established broker in the office at a salary large enough to support himself at a reasonable level. Any prospective clients developed with his telephone calls would be referred to his employer. Perhaps Mr. Gardner would be allowed to take over a few small deals. Working for an established broker would give him more money right away, but he would have to put off building his own set of clients. The alternative was for Mr. Gardner to work on his own from the beginning, using the telephone to build his business. This would give him less money for the first year or two (only about $1200 a month). However, if things went well, in a year or two, or three, he would make more money from his own set of clients than he would have made had he started out working for an established broker. In addition, if Mr. Gardner tried to build his own set of clients from nothing, his success would depend entirely on his own efforts. Mr. Gardner chose to work on his own and make very little money right away with the hope of making a lot more money in a few years.

One Friday night, several weeks after Mr. Gardner had started working as a broker trying to build up his own business, his former girlfriend appeared at the boarding house. She was tired of being a single mother. (She had trained to be a dentist and was trying to get established in that field.) She gave Mr. Gardner their 19-month-old son (Little Chris), the child’s stroller, a very large duffle bag filled with the child’s possessions, and lots of disposable diapers. The former girlfriend told Mr. Gardner what Little Chris ate, that he was to have no sweets, and then she left. The boarding house didn’t allow children. Mr. Gardner and his son were now homeless. Chris Gardner had no one he could call and ask for money. Nor did he feel that he could ask his friends for a place to stay with a 19-month-old child.

Over the weekend, Mr. Gardner found day care for his son ($400 a month) and they lived in a $25-a-night motel. $400 a month for daycare and $750 a month for a motel would eat up almost all of his $1200 a month income. There’d be no money for food, diapers, or anything else. The only way for Mr. Gardner to afford a place to live was to start working for another broker. He’d have to postpone his plan to focus on developing his own group of clients.

Over the next several days Mr. Gardner made a fateful decision: he and his son would be homeless for the next year or so until his own business at Dean Witter gave him enough money to rent an apartment. He would not work for someone else to put a roof over his son’s head. (Since landlords usually require hefty security deposits and first and last months rent, this meant that Mr. Gardner would have hundreds of dollars in savings while he and his son were still homeless.) Mr. Gardner made a conscious decision that he would not postpone his chance to become rich in order to care for his son, nor would he abandon his child. As a result, Mr. Gardner and Little Chris were homeless for approximately one year.

What does a two-year-old child need? He needs at least one parent, food, dry diapers, safety, and stability. Rich or poor doesn’t mean anything to a toddler, if he has these basics. Being homeless is a risky proposition. Homeless people are more likely to be assaulted and killed than people sleeping at home in their beds. Homeless people are exposed to the elements and can become ill. Perhaps the worst thing that could have happened to Little Chris was for his father to have been seriously injured in an assault or killed. Being a parent means putting your child’s interests before your own, especially when issues of safety are concerned. In deciding to be homeless rather than pursuing the slower track to success that would have provided him with enough money to put a roof over his son’s head, Chris Gardner violated one of the basic obligations that a parent owes to his or her child. Fortunately, he was able to make it work and, apparently, Little Chris suffered no harm as a result.

HOMELESSNESS IN AMERICA: THE FACTS, THE CAUSES, A CALL TO ACTION

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH):

• 754,000 people were homeless on an average day in the U.S. in 2005. (This was less than .3 % of the U.S. population.) Only about 55% could find a place in a shelter. The rest, about 335,000 people, were on the streets. One-third of the unsheltered homeless (approximately 112,000 people) were persons in families. Most of these were children.
• 47% of all homeless people are men and 59% are minorities.
• 39% are children younger than 18; 42% of these children are under the age of 5.
• 40% are veterans.

There is a core of chronic homelessness, but there is also a large turnover of people who are homeless for several months and who are then able to find homes. Central cities have more homeless people than rural/suburban areas, possibly because there are more shelters in cities and housing is more affordable in rural/suburban areas. (HUD February 2007 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress (HUD AHAR) pages iii, iv, vi, 21 – 24 & 32 and NCH: Who is Homeless? Fact Sheet #3 page 2 & 3.)

The homeless are convenient targets for criminals and are victimized more frequently than the general population. In one study in California, 66% of homeless people interviewed reported that they had been the victim of a crime within the last year. 75% of those crimes were assaults or robberies. (Attorney General, State of California, Special Report to the California Legislature on Crimes Committed Against Homeless Persons p. 5. Data is from 2001.) The homeless who are not sheltered are at risk for becoming ill due to exposure to the elements.

WHO BECOMES HOMELESS AND WHY?

Poverty is the most important risk factor for homelessness. Without the means to pay for the most basic of necessities, poor people begin to live paycheck-to-paycheck with no way to accumulate any savings. “Being poor means being an illness, an accident or a paycheck away from living on the streets,” writes the NCH. But poverty isn’t just about not having money – it’s about the underlying causes that push people into poverty: unemployment, lack of education and training, low-paying jobs, inadequate public assistance, and lack of health insurance. NCH: Why Are People Homeless? Fact Sheet #1 pp. 1, 3, & 6.

A person’s rent should typically cost about 30% of his or her earnings (leaving money for food, clothing, education, and other necessities); however, “in every state, more than [30% of earnings at] the minimum wage is required to afford a one or two-bedroom apartment.” Then where do minimum-wage earners with families live? All too often they are forced into homeless shelters or they live on the streets. In some cities, anywhere from 13% to 26% of people in “homeless situations” are employed. Ibid p. 2.

Welfare has been steadily declining. Female-headed families and working families that leave the welfare system are at the highest risk for homelessness of any group. The NCH states, “Although more families are moving from welfare to work, many of them are faring poorly due to low wages and inadequate work support.” NCH: Why Are People Homeless? Fact Sheet #1 page 3.

Domestic violence:

Battered women and victims of domestic abuse often face bleak options: stay in an abusive relationship or become homeless. In fact, 50% of all women and children who are homeless have fled domestic violence. Ibid page 6.

Mental illness:

16% of the adult homeless suffer from mental illness. Id. page 6.

Alcohol and Drug Abuse:

Alcohol abuse is a problem for many of the homeless.

Status as a Veteran:

Veterans are very highly represented among the homeless.

Because there are several different causes of homelessness, there isn’t one over-arching program that will help all of them. The NCH believes that relief will come from “a concerted effort to ensure jobs that pay a living wage, adequate support for those who cannot work, affordable housing, and access to health care.” NCH: Why Are People Homeless? Fact Sheet #1 page 7.

WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP HOMELESS PEOPLE

Regardless of our age, income, or talents, we can help the homeless. We could volunteer at a shelter like Glide Memorial or at a food bank or some other agency that helps homeless people. Most likely there’s one not too far away. Those who want to be more active can organize a food drive at school or work with a local shelter or soup kitchen to arrange for days when students can come and volunteer. Our imaginations and our willingness to help are the only limits on what we can do. For more ideas and suggestions see NCH Fact Sheet #19: How YOU Can Help End Homelessness .

“The Pursuit of Happyness” tells us that homelessness isn’t a problem for “other” people; it’s a problem for “real” people. It’s important to remember The Golden Rule: treat others as you would like to be treated. What if you or members of your family were without a place to sleep and there was no one to help you?

Having a large homeless population is not inevitable. By working together, learning about the causes of homelessness, and thinking creatively, we can provide housing for all of our people.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. See Questions Suitable for Any Film .

MEDIA LITERACY

2. There is something not quite realistic about what’s shown in the movie. What is it?

Suggested Response:

Only a superman could:

• study for a difficult brokers’ exam and
• work in the Dean Witter office making hundreds of cold calls a day and
• do better than all the other interns and
• care for his son and
• get food for them both and
• search for a different place to sleep every night and
• look fresh and well rested every morning like any other businessman and
• sell a few bone density scanners on the weekends,
• when he wasn’t getting paid and knew that only one intern would be offered a job.

In fact, what the real Chris Gardner did was very difficult. However, it becomes a superhuman task when you add the pressure of preparing for a very difficult examination with no quiet place to study, having to sell bone density scanners on the weekends, and working for no money, all the while knowing that there was little chance that he’d get the job.

3. Mr. Gardner deserves praise for his decision to keep his son with him. However, the story told by the movie avoids dealing with the ethics of the decision made by Mr. Gardner to try to become wealthy as fast as he could even though it meant subjecting himself and his son to the very real risks involved in being homeless. Little Chris was definitely a stakeholder in his father’s decision. What does his father’s decision to become homeless look like from Little Chris’ point of view?

What does a two-year-old child need? He needs at least one parent, food, dry diapers, safety, and stability. Rich or poor doesn’t mean anything to a toddler if he has these basics. Being homeless is a risky proposition. Homeless people are more likely to be assaulted and killed than people sleeping at home in their beds. Homeless people are exposed to the elements and can become ill. Perhaps the worst thing that could have happened to Little Chris was for his father to have been seriously injured in an assault or killed. Being a parent means putting your child’s interests before your own, especially when issues of safety are concerned. In deciding to be homeless rather than pursuing the slower track to success that would have provided him with enough money to put a roof over his son’s head, Chris Gardner violated a basic principle of good parenting.

The fact that Mr. Gardner’s gamble paid off and that neither he nor his child were assaulted while they were homeless doesn’t mean that Mr. Gardner made the right decision. It only means that he and his son were lucky.

4. Why did the screenwriters change the story?

There is no one correct answer to this question. A strong answer will mention that the story told by the movie is more dramatic than the true story. It’s much harder to dramatize Mr. Gardner’s decision to GO THE OTHER WAY, as he put it:

Not only was I going to make sure my children had a daddy, I was never going to be Freddie Triplett. I was never going to terrorize, threaten, harm, or abuse a woman or a child, and I was never going to drink so hard that I couldn’t account for my actions.

Also, the story of Mr. Gardner’s rape when he was 14 years old, was probably too upsetting for a PG-13 film.

5. One critic of this movie said that “The Pursuit of Happyness” and films like it, “. . . assuage the guilt of the privileged . . . and send the message that we who have ‘made it’ into the middle and upper classes are there simply because of our superior virtue and intelligence. It is far more flattering to attribute our wealth to superior character and abilities, . . . than to factor in inequitable tax codes, unequal access to health care, discriminatory education, slave-wages, international trade agreements and inheritance laws that protect privileged races and classes.” The Stories We Tell: films like ‘Pursuit of Happyness’ assuage the guilt of the privileged by Jeremy V. Cruz, America, April 30, 2007. Do you agree or disagree?

This is clearly a valid criticism. The vast majority of the poor work hard and show up for menial jobs day after day. Mr. Cruz, who is a former youth minister, said, “In fact, the poor are among the hardest-working, strongest, most selfless people I know, often holding two or three jobs to keep their families together for one more day.” It isn’t easy to get advanced education and training when there is no money to pay for it and while you are responsible for raising children or making a living. On the other hand, virtue and effort are important. Without them no one would advance. A good exercise when discussing this question is to take an example of a person who is successful and analyze their career in terms of the advantages that they received because of their birth.

For other questions relating to media literacy, see Homelessness, Question #s 1 & 2.

HOMELESSNESS

1. Is it true that most people who live in poverty don’t work hard and don’t apply themselves?

We don’t think so. See quote from Mr. Jeremy V. Cruz in the suggested answer to Discussion Question #5. Look around at people who are working menial jobs. Most work pretty hard and many work two jobs. They have to in order to make ends meet. Why do they work in these low paying jobs and why can’t they get a better job? There are many possible reasons: lack of education, inadequate training, the fact that they are immigrants and can’t speak English well, lack of ability to do other jobs. Laziness and lack of effort aren’t among them. These are respectable jobs and need to be done. The one thing we know is that the fact that people are working these jobs means that they are willing to do what it takes to keep their families together.

2. How is the version of homelessness in the movie different than what the homeless really experience?

The homeless are at greater risk for being assaulted or robbed than the general population. They are at risk of becoming ill from exposure. Nor does the movie show what happens when a homeless person has to go to the bathroom, but there are no available facilities. Nor does it show what happens when they are sick.

3. There are some developed countries in which there are fewer homeless people than in the U.S. Why are there so many homeless people in the U.S.?

It’s a matter of priorities. In the U.S., voters would rather have lower taxes than take care of the homeless. Other developed countries have made different choices and have fewer extremely wealthy people and fewer people in extreme poverty or who are homeless.

4. Has this movie changed your view of the homeless? If so, what are the changes? If not, why not?

There is no one correct response.

Short Quiz on Homelessness:

1. In 2005, approximately how many people were homeless in the U.S., both sheltered and unsheltered?

754,000 people.

2. On an average night in 2005, what percent of the homeless were not able to find a place to sleep in a shelter?

45% or 339,000.

3. What percent and approximate number of homeless people in the U.S. were children under the age of 18 in 2005? Of that number, how many are under the age of five?

Approximately 39%, or 290,000 were children younger than 18; 42% or 122,000 were under the age of five.

4. What are the main risks of being homeless?

Becoming the victim of a robbery or assault and getting ill from exposure to the elements.

5. What is the role played by the high cost of health care and lack of adequate health insurance in forcing people into homelessness?

People whose finances are wiped out by the costs of illness are at great risk of losing their homes.

6. How much should a family spend on housing if they are to have enough money left over for food, clothing, education, and other necessities?

The answer to the following question counts for four points.

7. List the five different types of people who are at risk for becoming homeless.

(1) the poor;

(2) the mentally ill;

(3) the alcoholic and drug-addicted;

(4) victims of domestic violence; and

(5) veterans.

1. One critic wrote,

Often, as I watched the movie and the Chris Gardner character was frustrated time and time again, like when he got the parking ticket for his supervisor’s car, or when he couldn’t sell a bone density scanner, or when the man at the football game said that Chris was too inexperienced to get his pension fund business, I thought the character would explode. (I would have had trouble keeping my cool in those situations.) The actor allowed you to see the character mastering his frustration and anger to respond to the disappointment in a smiling and gracious manner. He kept his cool and didn’t burn his bridges.

But there were times when the character of Mr. Gardner, as shown in the movie, did lose his cool and got aggressive with people. What do you think about the ability of this character to keep his cool and be gracious in the face of extreme disappointment and frustration? When did he express his frustration and become angry with people? Does this tell you anything about people in general? But there were times when the character of Mr. Gardner, as shown in the movie, did lose his cool and got aggressive with people. What do you think about the ability of this character to keep his cool and be gracious in the face of extreme disappointment and frustration? When did he express his frustration and become angry with people? Does this tell you anything about people in general?

There are a couple of good responses. Taking frustration graciously and not burning your bridges is a necessary ability in being a salesperson and in life in general. It tells us that people who are often disappointed, poor people in particular, have to exercise a lot of self-control throughout their lives. It also shows that the character of Mr. Gardner expressed anger and became aggressive at those who were equal to him or lower in the power structure. He generally allowed himself to lose his cool and become aggressive with poor and non-white people. This probably has nothing to do with the real Mr. Gardner, and how he acts, but it does ring true as something that people do.

2. Now that you have read about Mr. Gardner’s life, what do you think is the most remarkable thing that he accomplished? Do you think it was caring for his son and succeeding at being a stockbroker while he was homeless? Or was it something else?

There is no one right answer. Possible responses include: (1) caring for his son and succeeding at being a stockbroker while he was homeless; (2) consciously deciding to go “the other way,” i.e., not to be a child abuser like his stepfather; not to be a drunk like his stepfather; not to be a wife beater like his stepfather; and not to abandon his child, like his biological father; (3) surviving the rape with apparently very few scars; (4) keeping J.R., the racist, as a client; or (5) trying to excel in any job that he held.

3. What did you learn from reading about Mr. Gardner?

There is no one answer. See the response to the preceding question.

4. Why is Chris Gardner glad that he didn’t kill Freddie Triplett, his abusive step-father?

There are two reasons. First, he probably would have been caught and sent to jail. (Remember, as a teenager when Chris did something illegal, he would usually get caught.) Second, killing another person, even with justification, does terrible things to the killer.

FATHER/SON — PARENTING

See Media Literacy Question #3.

5. What did Chris Gardner’s mother contribute to his character?

The most important thing was that he felt loved by her. In addition, there was the encouragement that he could do anything he set his mind to and be anything he wanted to be. She gave him practical advice, like looking confident even when he was terrified and she told him about the value of libraries. She encouraged his reading and schoolwork which, as it turned out, was very important to his success. He could never have passed the brokers’ exam if he hadn’t been a good reader.

6. What are some of the risks of homelessness?

Homeless people often sleep in areas that are not secure and that are not protected from the weather. They are at increased risk of being assaulted or robbed and of becoming ill due to exposure to the elements.

WORK/CAREER

See Media Literacy Question #2 and Media Literacy Question #5.

7. What was Chris Gardner’s attitude toward work?

Whenever he had a job he would do his best and ask question after question. He would find the person who was the best at that job and learn what made that person a success.

8. Does Mr. Gardner’s story mean that anybody can become wealthy and that if you don’t, you’re a failure? Should everyone become rich?

The truth is that only a very small percentage of people in society can become wealthy. The fact is that what most people want is not to become rich but to have a happy life. Mr. Gardner’s view of this is contained in the last quote in the handout Episodes in the Life of Chris Gardner (What’s Not in the Movie).

ALCOHOL & DRUG ABUSE

9. What was the role of alcohol abuse in Freddie Triplett’s life?

According to his stepson, Mr. Triplett was an alcoholic, and when he was drunk he would terrorize and beat his wife and children.

10. Doctors and psychologists tell us that alcoholism is a family disease. Apply that to Mr. Triplett’s family.

Everyone in Mr. Triplett’s family suffered from his lack of control when he got drunk. Often, we can see members of a family developing neurotic behaviors to deal with the alcoholic and his or her illness. We don’t know enough about Mr. Triplett’s family to talk about that. We do know that they lived lives in fear and they were beaten. There had to be some residual effects from this. Mr. Gardner, due to his own strong character and his mother’s love and influence, was able to escape most of it.

BREAKING OUT

11. An admirable thing about Mr. Gardner was that he consciously decided that he would not continue the cycle of neglect, alcohol abuse, and violence to which he was subjected as a child. He calls this “going the other way” from the paths taken by his father and his stepfather. Do you know anyone who has done something similar? Can you tell us his or her story?

12. Another admirable thing about Mr. Gardner’s life story is that he did something positive in his life that no one expected him to do. Do you know anyone who has done this? Can you tell us their story?

SPOUSAL ABUSE/CHILD ABUSE

13. Describe the usual cycle of a wife beater and how Triplett’s treatment of young Chris was different.

The normal cycle for a wife beater has three parts. There is a period in which tension mounts, then the attack, and then remorse. The wife beater will promise that it won’t happen again, and he will be on good behavior for a while. But during the period of good behavior the tension mounts again and then the pattern repeats itself. With Chris, Freddie Triplett was verbally abusive all the time, taunting Chris with, “I’m not your daddy. You ain’t got no daddy!”

14. Why do you think Chris’ mother stayed with Triplett?

Most battered women stay in abusive relationships due to a mixture of fear, lack of self-esteem, and a feeling of complete helplessness. In addition, Chris thought that Triplett was responsible for his mother going to jail both times. The first time was when she tried to leave Triplett and the second was when she tried to kill him. If this is true, Chris’ mother knew that when she tried to get away from Freddie Triplett or strike back at him, he would find a way to send her to jail. Also, she could not support her children on a maid’s salary. She needed Triplett’s paycheck to feed the kids. (Compare her self-sacrifice to Mr. Gardner’s refusal to sacrifice his own desire to get rich quick to keep his son from homelessness. There are differences. He had a real possibility of finding a way out, while his mother didn’t.)

15. What is the role of education in this story?

If Mr. Gardner had not gotten a good education and had not been encouraged by his mother and teachers to read, he would not have been able to pass the broker’s exam.

AMBITION/MALE ROLE MODEL

16. Do you consider Mr. Gardner to be a male role model? Tell us your reasons, pro and con.

There is no one correct answer, but a good answer will mention: 1) his decision to “go the other way” and not to neglect his children (as his father had done) and not beat women and children in an alcoholic rage (as his stepfather had done); 2) the ethical problems with his decision to subject his son to homelessness so that he could become rich faster (see Media Literacy Question #3); and 3) his decision to excel in any job that he held.

17. Mr. Gardner was ambitious, but was he too ambitious?

This is another way to raise the ethical issue involved in Mr. Gardner’s decision that his son would be homeless for many months so that Mr. Gardner could become rich faster. See Media Literacy Question #3.

MORAL-ETHICAL EMPHASIS (CHARACTER COUNTS)

Discussion Questions Relating to Ethical Issues will facilitate the use of this film to teach ethical principles and critical viewing.

RESPONSIBILITY

(Do what you are supposed to do; Persevere: keep on trying!; Always do your best; Use self-control; Be self-disciplined; Think before you act — consider the consequences; Be accountable for your choices)

(Be kind; Be compassionate and show you care; Express gratitude; Forgive others; Help people in need)

1. What was Mr. Gardner’s greatest gift to his son?

His constant and consistent love and caring.

See also SEL Question #5.

ASSIGNMENTS, PROJECTS & ACTIVITIES

• Have students read The Stories We Tell: films like ‘Pursuit of Happyness’ assuage the guilt of the privileged by Jeremy V. Cruz, America, April 30, 2007, and write an essay commenting on the points made by Mr. Cruz; this is reprinted by permission of Mr. Cruz and America magazine;
• Have students research and write an essay on one of the following discussion questions: Media Literacy #s 3 & 5, and SEL #s 1, 2, 8, 16 & 17;
• Have students research and write an essay on the accuracy of the presentation of homelessness in the movie;
• Have students research and write an essay on the effects of homelessness on children;
• Have students research and write an essay on the solutions to the problem of homelessness in the U.S.;
• Have students research and write an essay on why women remain in abusive relationships; and

See also Assignments, Projects, and Activities Suitable for Any Film .

BRIDGES TO READING

Mr. Gardner’s autobiography, The Pursuit of Happyness written with Quincy Troupe, is a great read. It is uplifting and full of life lessons. However, the book contains a few descriptions of Mr. Gardner’s sex life and two or three references to drug use. It also has some profanity. Some parents will find these references offensive. (The sex and drugs have been omitted from the handout, Episodes in the Life of Chris Gardner (What’s Not in the Movie) . Parents considering recommending the book to their children should read it themselves before giving it to their children to make sure that it’s suitable. You’ll probably enjoy it thoroughly.

LINKS TO THE INTERNET

• The Chris Gardner Website ;
• Real Chris Gardner vs. Will Smith Movie article on Reel Faces;
• Wikipedia Article on Chris Gardner ;
• Biography of Mr. Gardner from his website ;
• Wikipedia article on the film “The Pursuit of Happyness” ;
• Climbing Out of the Gutter with a 5-year-old in Tow , New York Times Movie Review by Manohla Dargis;
• From S.F. Homeless to Wall Street CEO Book Review by David Miosl, San Francisco Chronicle;
• Happyness for Sale By Jia Lynn Yang, Fortune Magazine, September 15 2006; and
• Interview with Chris Gardner about Difficulties in Getting Picked Up by a Cab as a Black Man in Chicago .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Mr. Gardner’s autobiography, The Pursuit of Happyness written with Quincy Troupe as well as

• Articles on the Internet described in the links to the Internet section of this Learning Guide and interviews, articles in newspapers and in magazines described in the endnotes to Episodes in the Life of Chris Gardner (What’s Not in the Movie) ; and
• “Come on Down: Searching for the American Dream” (2004) a documentary produced by Manifestation Television, Inc .

This Learning Guide was last updated on October 18, 2015.

LEARNING GUIDE MENU:

Benefits of the Movie Possible Problems Parenting Points Selected Awards & Cast Helpful Background Discussion Questions Social-Emotional Learning Moral-Ethical Emphasis Assignments and Projects Bridges to Reading Links to the Internet Bibliography

MOVIE WORKSHEETS:

RANDALL KENNEDY, Professor, Harvard Law School on the two alternative traditions relating to racism in America:

“I say that the best way to address this issue is to address it forthrightly, and straightforwardly, and embrace the complicated history and the complicated presence of America. On the one hand, that’s right, slavery, and segregation, and racism, and white supremacy is deeply entrenched in America. At the same time, there has been a tremendous alternative tradition, a tradition against slavery, a tradition against segregation, a tradition against racism.

I mean, after all in the past 25 years, the United States of America has seen an African-American presence. As we speak, there is an African-American vice president. As we speak, there’s an African- American who is in charge of the Department of Defense. So we have a complicated situation. And I think the best way of addressing our race question is to just be straightforward, and be clear, and embrace the tensions, the contradictions, the complexities of race in American life. I think we need actually a new vocabulary.

So many of the terms we use, we use these terms over and over, starting with racism, structural racism, critical race theory. These words actually have been weaponized. They are vehicles for propaganda. I think we would be better off if we were more concrete, we talked about real problems, and we actually used a language that got us away from these overused terms that actually don’t mean that much.   From Fahreed Zakaria, Global Public Square, CNN, December 26, 2021

Give your students new perspectives on race relations, on the history of the American Revolution, and on the contribution of the Founding Fathers to the cause of representative democracy. Check out TWM’s Guide: TWO CONTRASTING TRADITIONS RELATING TO RACISM IN AMERICA and a Tragic Irony of the American Revolution: the Sacrifice of Freedom for the African-American Slaves on the Altar of Representative Democracy.

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The pursuit of happyness.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 16 Reviews
• Kids Say 50 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

By Cynthia Fuchs , based on child development research. How do we rate?

Inspirational but often emotionally wrenching story.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Will Smith will draw kids to this movie. But it's not an action flick or slapstick comedy -- it's an inspirational and often emotionally wrenching story. It includes some very sad scenes between family members, as well as a couple of emotionally scary ones. The mother becomes so frustrated…

Why Age 12+?

"F--k" written as graffiti on wall, noted and spoken by father and son; several

Mom smokes cigarettes several times.

Parents' loud argument worries their son; Chris is hit by a car, leaving his fac

Most products are used to mark the year (1981): A Rubik's cube figures prominent

Mother appears briefly in her bra and panties while changing into her work unifo

Any Positive Content?

Strong messages about the importance of persistence, hard work, believing in you

Noble father dotes on son and is dedicated to taking care of him through thick a

"F--k" written as graffiti on wall, noted and spoken by father and son; several uses of "damn," "hell," "s--t," "ass," and "a--hole." "You suck" written on wall.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

Parents' loud argument worries their son; Chris is hit by a car, leaving his face bruised and clothes bedraggled; father yells at son for crying, frightening him into obedience; Chris starts to fight a man in line at a shelter, frightening his son, who cries.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Most products are used to mark the year (1981): A Rubik's cube figures prominently in the plot; Members Only jacket; Raging Bull movie poster; Magic Johnson poster, Captain America action figure. Chris goes to work for the Dean Witter brokerage.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Mother appears briefly in her bra and panties while changing into her work uniform.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Strong messages about the importance of persistence, hard work, believing in yourself, and being there for each other. The heart of the movie is the strong father-son bond between the two main characters.

Positive Role Models

Noble father dotes on son and is dedicated to taking care of him through thick and thin. He takes his son along on job-related excursions and lies in front of him (the kid looks appropriately skeptical when he hears it). Chris also briefly discourages and yells at his son, after which he is immediately apologetic. Perpetually irritated mom abandons her son early in the movie.

Parents need to know that Will Smith will draw kids to this movie. But it's not an action flick or slapstick comedy -- it's an inspirational and often emotionally wrenching story. It includes some very sad scenes between family members, as well as a couple of emotionally scary ones. The mother becomes so frustrated with her husband's inability to make a living that she leaves him and their son. Later, the father yells at his son for a trivial reason and gets in a fight, scaring the boy and making him cry. If your child is in a clingy period with you, this might upset him or her. There's a very brief allusion to the mixed effects of classism and racism on the son. The father's frustration sometimes leads to tears and sometimes to angry language (mostly damn and "s--t"). A graffitied "f--k" leads to a brief discussion of the word, and the son says it out loud. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (16)
• Kids say (50)

Based on 16 parent reviews

that kid'll getcha

Real life issues - refreshing break from anthromorphism and fantasy, what's the story.

Based on a true story and set in 1981 San Francisco, Pursuit begins as Chris Gardner ( Will Smith ) and his wife, Linda ( Thandiwe Newton ), are having troubles. She works double shifts doing hotel laundry; he's trying to sell bone density scanners (i.e., specialty medical machines that, as Chris admits in voiceover, are too expensive for most doctors to buy). When Linda abandons the family, Chris remains determined. He spends six months working in an unpaid internship at Dean Witter, dead set on becoming a stock broker. He's smart enough and good with numbers, he figures, having proved that much by solving a Rubik's cube in front of a Dean Witter broker. As he studies and scrapes by, barely earning enough each week to pay for meals, Chris is sure he's going to make it.

Is It Any Good?

Jaden Smith is adorable; he delivers an endearing performance as Gardner's son, Christopher, in what turns out to be a simple, sentimental, but ultimately inspiring movie. The film deals with the American Dream from a particular perspective, focusing, as the title implies, on the constitutional right to "pursue" happiness, rather than the right to be happy. In this manner, the movie is able to avoid focusing much on institutional racism and how that factors into achieving the Dream. Instead, the relationship between father and son, through all the ups and downs of family strife and economic instability, take center stage, with lovely results.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the appeal of stories like Chris'. Why do people like rags-to-riches tales? Why are they considered good material for movies? How close do you think the movie version is to the true story?

Families can also talk about the risks that Chris takes to provide a "better life" for his son. How does the movie show that little Christopher is both scared of having no place to sleep, but also utterly trusting of his dad? Is it OK that Chris tells a white lie in front of his son to get a job?

How does the film portray the decision by Christopher's mother to leave him? From whose point of view do you see this choice?

Movie Details

• In theaters : December 14, 2006
• On DVD or streaming : March 27, 2007
• Cast : Jaden Smith , Thandiwe Newton , Will Smith
• Director : Gabriele Muccino
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Black actors
• Studio : Columbia Tristar
• Genre : Drama
• Run time : 117 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : some language.
• Awards : Common Sense Media Award , NAACP Image Award - NAACP Image Award Winner
• Last updated : August 8, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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"The Importance of 'Happyness'"--A movie review of The Pursuit of Happyness

2007, Liberty

Hollywood hasn't produced many pictures celebrating the American Dream and success in business over the last generation, for a variety of reasons, not least of these being the pervasive hatred of America and capitalism endemic in Hollywood. But occasionally a film sneaks through which does indeed remind us we can win if we work hard enough. The Pursuit of Happyness celebrates this and much more, and is well worth seeing 1. The story is a true one, based upon the autobiography of Chris Gardner, an African-American who made it in the investment business. In the film, which takes place in San Francisco of 1981, follows that period of Gardner's life when he struggled to make his way to success. The story begins with Gardner, played superbly by Will Smith, struggling to earn a living selling medical equipment (portable bone-density scanners, if I recall), while his wife (played well by Thandie Newton) works double shifts at her menial job, as both try to raise their son. In a brilliant piece of casting, their son is played by Jaden Smith, Will Smith's real-life son. This allows a special depth to the scenes of both father and son together.

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The Pursuit of Happyness (2006). Reviewed by Harsh Mahaseth

The Pursuit of Happyness (Sony Pictures, 2006)

Can a man face a plethora of hardships both personally and professionally to pursue a bit of happiness, especially when the only happiness he knows of is the word “happyness” written on a wall? The answer would be this movie, which is based on a true story written by Steven Conrad and is directed by Gabriele Muccino. This movie was an immediate success with audiences and has been critically acclaimed as “an inspirational and often emotionally wrenching story.” [1] The story is set in the 1980s with an African American protagonist, Chris Gardner (Will Smith), who was the top of his class in the Navy yet was on the verge of bankruptcy. He invests all of his life savings in a portable bone density scanner, which provides slightly denser pictures than X-rays for twice the money. Chris’s belief in the product showing potential leads him to gamble his family’s entire life savings, which destroys his family as his wife Linda (Thandie Newton) leaves him and their five-year-old son Christopher (Jaden Smith) and moves to New York to start a new life. Chris soon realizes that there is little demand for the portable bone density scanner, rendering his stock in the company worthless.

The Pursuit of Happyness (Sony Pictures, 2006) Photo Credit: Zade Rosenthal

Without money or a life partner, Chris finds it challenging to work his way from a six-month unpaid internship with a brokerage firm called Dean Witter to a single spot that twenty men are vying for. After taking the internship, Chris’s real income changes once he leaves his job as a salesman; it doesn’t help that $600 is taken from his account by the government because of his inability to pay his bills. Chris is then forced to move out from his house and live in a rented apartment. There is a decrease in Chris’s purchasing power. Christopher no longer attends day care as Chris cannot afford it. At one point during the movie, Chris even sells his blood to earn $21 as he only has around $8 to his name. When Chris has no money at all, he and Christopher live at a homeless shelter and even in a subway station bathroom. But the problem with homeless shelters is that there are too many people who are homeless and the rooms provided are not enough for everyone. That is why there is a queue outside the shelters every day starting at 5 P.M. Not many people can afford a home so the government devises a policy to make homeless shelters where people can live for free. But there is excess demand for these, which the shelters cannot accommodate; so space is given on a first-come, first-served basis.

One particularly memorable scene is staged in the subway, when Chris tries to bring to life Christopher’s imagination of them traveling through time via the bone density scanner. This is an important part of the movie as the mise-en-scene has been shown to represent the struggles faced by Chris and his efforts to achieve happiness. The melancholic music suddenly changes and the reality of the situation seeps in as the music becomes heavy. This scene lets the viewers marvel at the atmosphere Chris creates for his son and the sudden change in atmosphere when they lock themselves inside a toilet and have to spend the entire night there as they have no other place to sleep.

In this scene we can witness the desperation of Chris to find shelter as we see them living in a bathroom, a place which is perceived as a dirty place where people prefer not to live. The luggage beside them while sleeping depicts the “baggage,” their mistakes and problems that they have to carry around with them. The scene shows a timeline in which the left side shows the “baggage” they carry around with them; the center shows the present state they are in, lying on toilet paper, which shows how worthless and miserable their life is; and the right side shows the hope and happiness that they strive to achieve.

The movie was a hit in the theaters and it received a total of 34 award nominations and has won 12 awards including a nomination for an Oscar. [ii] This movie is such an inspiration that Washington D.C. officials took a group of homeless people to a screening of the movie, hoping that they would also aspire and work hard like Chris Gardner to pursue “happyness.” [iii] This movie is a stereotype breaker that sends a message to everyone that individuals aren’t rewarded via pity but through hard work, initiative, and sacrifice. [iv] Chris never shows the slightest bit of resentment or shame when he, as the only African American intern, is always asked to go get coffee or park a car. When he achieves his goal through sheer hard work and determination, everyone knows that he was the one who deserved the spot. There is no greed inside of Chris that made him want to change professions, it is the determination to provide for his son and himself that makes him pursue a new career and in the end attain the goal of “happyness.” [v]

[1] Manohla Dargis, “Climbing Out of the Gutter with a 5-Year-Old in Tow,” The New York Times , Dec. 15, 2006, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/15/movies/15happ.html?_r=0 .

[ii] “The Pursuit of Happyness ,” IMDb, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454921/?ref_=ttpl_pl_tt .

[iii] Sue Anne Pressley Montes, “A Chance for City’s Homeless to Pursue ‘Happyness,’” The Washington Post , Jan. 6, 2007, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/25/AR2007012501927.html .

[iv] iMonk, “Recommendation and Review: The Pursuit of Happyness ,” Internet Monk , Dec. 22, 2006, http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/recommendation-and-review-the-pursuit-of-happyness .

[v] “ Synopsis for The Pursuit of Happyness ,” IMDb, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454921/synopsis .

Author Biography

Harsh Mahaseth is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s degree in law from the National Academy of Legal Studies And Research, Hyderabad. His interest lies in linking legal and economic aspects to various literary pieces to get a more holistic understanding of it.

Film Details

Pursuit of Happyness (2006) USA Director Gabriele Muccino Runtime 117 minutes

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The Pursuit of Happyness

A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career. A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career. A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career.

• Gabriele Muccino
• Steve Conrad
• Thandiwe Newton
• Jaden Smith
• 954 User reviews
• 146 Critic reviews
• 64 Metascore
• 12 wins & 26 nominations total

Top cast 99+

• Chris Gardner

• (as Thandie Newton)

• Christopher
• (as Jaden Christopher Syre Smith)

• Jay Twistle

• Martin Frohm

• Alan Frakesh

• Walter Ribbon

• World's Greatest Dad

• Chinese Maintenance Worker
• (as George K. Cheung)
• Doctor at First Hospital

• Ferrari Owner
• Hippie Girl

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Did you know

• Trivia Chris Gardner : At the end, the real Chris Gardner walks past Chris and Chris Jr.
• Goofs In one scene, the train doors close on Chris Gardner's hand while he is holding a bone scanner. He doesn't let go, and the train departs with the doors partially open. That would never happen in real life; BART trains are designed not to move if the doors of any car are obstructed.

Christopher Gardner : [narrating, at a payphone, raining, after learning Linda is taking Christopher away from him] It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that?

• Connections Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Dreamgirls/Charlotte's Web/The Holiday/Apocalypto/Unaccompanied Minors (2006)
• Soundtracks When the Saints Go Marching In Traditional

User reviews 954

• Oct 20, 2013
• Why was, Chris- you suck-' written on the wall when Will Smith was painting the apartment?
• Is there a real Chris Gardner?
• Are there any differences between the movie story and the real story?
• December 15, 2006 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Sony Pictures (United States)
• Untitled Chris Gardner Project
• Candlestick Park - 602 Jamestown Avenue, San Francisco, California, USA
• Columbia Pictures
• Relativity Media
• Overbrook Entertainment
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $55,000,000 (estimated)
• $163,566,459
• $26,541,709
• Dec 17, 2006
• $307,127,625

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 57 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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The Pursuit of Happyness

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Will Smith's heartfelt performance elevates The Pursuit of Happyness above mere melodrama.

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Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — In Pursuit of Happiness — Review of the Movie ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’

The Pursuit of Happyness: Movie Review and Analysis

• Categories: In Pursuit of Happiness Movie Review

About this sample

Words: 764 |

Published: Apr 8, 2022

Words: 764 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Works Cited:

• Baer, J. (2013). Coca-Cola's Content 2020 Advertising Strategy. Convince & Convert. https://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/coca-colas-content-2020-advertising-strategy/
• Bragesjö, F. (2011). Coca-Cola: History, Advertising and the American Dream. Culture Unbound, 3, 413-435. Crossland, K. (2019). The History of Advertising: A Comprehensive Timeline, From Print to Digital. Hubspot. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/history-of-advertising
• Gaffney, J. (2019). How Coca-Cola Became the King of Advertising. HousingWire.
• Green, C. (2019). Coca-Cola's Evolution of Ads: From Polar Bears to Sustainable Development. Triple Pundit.
• Kleinberg, A. (2014). The Evolution of Advertising. Inc.
• Nudd, T. (2014). History of Advertising: How We Got Here. Adweek.
• Raye, A. (2015). A Brief History of Coca-Cola Advertising Slogans. The Daily Meal. https://www.thedailymeal.com/drink/brief-history-coca-cola-advertising-slogans
• Sabatier, G. (2019). Digital Advertising: Past, Present, and Future. Millennial Money.
• Stanton, J. W. (2007). Coke's Recipe for Success. Harvard Business Review, 85(11), 30-32.

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The pursuit of happyness.

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Gabriele Muccino

Reviews (2)

Probably Will Smith's best performances. Heck, it's probably Jaden Smith's best performance as well. This movie never fails to make me cry. The ending is cathartic seeing all his hard work pay off. The bathroom scene is heartbreaking.

The movie is certainly well made and well acted, but it comes across as a movie made to give middle-class people warm fuzzy feelings that anyone can succeed if they just pull themselves up from their bootstraps and try hard enough. I understand that it's based on a true story, but the way that the script is written ignores all the systemic issues that prevent upward mobility.

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