Directed by: Gabriele Muccino
Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Thandiwe Newton, James Karen, Brian Howe
The Pursuit of Happyness is based on the true story of Chris Gardner, a salesman who in 1981 San Francisco was homeless for a time while working as an unpaid intern for Dean Witter trying to land a coveted broker position. If it weren't for bad luck, Chris would have no luck at all. He invests his life savings in buying bone density scanners which he attempts to sell to doctors as an upgrade to x-rays. His inability to sell them all in a timely manner causes financial strain which causes his wife Linda (Newton) to leave him and his five-year-old son Christopher (Jaden Smith-Will's real-life son) high and dry.
Unable to pay the rent, Chris moves himself and Christopher out of their apartment and into a motel. Fortunately for Chris, he runs into Jay Twistle (Howe), a partner at Dean Witter impressed by Chris' sales skills and his ability to solve a Rubik's Cube. He offers Chris an internship spot which will lead to a permanent broker position if he's able to impress Jay and his partners enough. Things don't start smoothly, as a paint-covered Chris shows up to the interview in a t-shirt. This was the day Linda moved out.
Chris is barely making ends meet. At one point, he is evicted from the motel and forced to spend a night in the bathroom of a subway station. Other nights, if he's fortunate, there is a bed available at a local homeless shelter. Through it all, Chris never lets this trauma deter his determination. He gains whatever edge he can, including not drinking water so he takes fewer bathroom breaks and not placing the receiver down in between sales calls. This saves seconds which turn into minutes and allow him to place more calls than the other interns.
The Pursuit of Happyness is moving without resorting to corniness. When Chris finally receives a stroke of good fortune, his joy is earned. Smith, who earned an Oscar nomination for his role, disappears into the role, forgoing his natural exuberance and replacing it with determination and resourcefulness. It is heartbreaking as he tries to protect his son from the gravity of their situation as the pressures mount within him. Chris is never less than sympathetic and The Pursuit of Happyness succeeds because of it. We learn after earning the broker position, Chris became rich enough to eventually form his own brokerage firm. We can't say he didn't fight and scratch for it.
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