The Pursuit of Happyness

This is definitely one of the best movies that I've seen in a long time. It's based on a true story.

Will Smith plays a lone parent, Chris Gardner, who is down on his luck. His marriage is finally torn apart when his wife can no longer take the constant struggle of their life. He is then left to take care of his 5 year old son Christopher (who is played by Will Smith's real life son). He struggles with paying for rent, child care, groceries, parking tickets because of a bad business investment he made years before. Chris then gets accepted into a highly competitive internship program at a brokerage firm. The only problem is that internship doesn't pay. Only 1 out of the 20 people gets the job at the end of it. During this he soon finds he and his son homeless. They are forced to go from place to place every night to try to find someplace to rest, anywhere from shelters to transportation stations. It's an amazing story of a father and son that tests the strength of their love. It has a wonderful theme: pursue your dreams no matter what, work hard and you will achieve your goals.

A must see, you will not be disappointed.

The Pursuit Of A Great Film!

A great film that demonstrates how good, hard-working people can become homeless almost overnight, Pursuit of Happyness is a showcase for Will Smith, who convincingly portrays a down-and-out dad trying to better his family's life. Smith, who usually is cast in effortlessly boyish roles (Men in Black, Independence Day), is wonderful in the film in the scenes that shamelessly tug at viewers' heartstrings. Based on the true-life story of Chris Gardner, a San Francisco salesman forced at times to shelter his young son (played by Smith's adorable look-alike offspring Jaden Smith) in a men's room, there is little suspense to the film in terms of Chris' outcome. (His story and eventual success a successful and wealthy Chicago businessman was well publicized on the newsmagazine show 20/20.) The beauty of this film is in the way the story is told. Though he is constantly rushing around to get to appointments and pick up his child, things do not happen quickly for Chris. When he accepts an internship with a prestigious stock brokerage firm, there's a catch: The position is unpaid, suitable more for trust-fund children than single parents with no other source of income. In many scenes, the viewer panics along with Chris, wondering how he's going to feed his child. While Smith and his son, Jaden, share many tender moments together, Thandie Newton has the thankless role of playing Chris' shrill wife, who deserts her family early in the film. This movie is heart touching, you will enjoy it with your family and friends.

The Pursuit of Happyness (2007, DVD)

What can i say will smith got to give him another 5 stars on this movie.Now normally you see will smith in a action thriller movie but not this movie.I would say this is one of my favorites by will smith.Will Smith stars in the inspirational true story of Chris Gardner, a San Francisco salesman who's struggling to make ends meet. When his girlfriend Linda (Thandie Newton) walks out, Chris is left to raise their 5-year-old son Christopher (Jaden Smith) on his own. Chris' determination finally pays off when he lands an unpaid internship in a brutally competitive stockbroker-training program, where only one in twenty interns will make the cut. But without a salary, Chris and his son are evicted from their apartment and are forced to sleep on the street, in homeless shelters and even behind the locked doors of a metro station bathroom. With self- confidence and the love and trust of his son, Chris Gardner rises above his obstacles to become a Wall Street legend.

Smith took this role and ran with it

Smith is a gifted actor, and this film really showcases his emotional range. His natural rapport with his son is in no way one-sided; Jaden Smith is believable and very charming. Certainly, the audience can feel secure that Chris Gardner, the main character, will succeed in some fashion or else a film would never have been based on his autobiography, but the simple, sentimental score, well-written screenplay, subtle direction and, above all, Will Smith's acting make us strive with Gardner, cry with him, and hurt with him.

Gardner's tale is like "Die Hard" for the masses; he has to endure being arrested, being evicted, fighting for a bed at the homeless shelter, trying to keep appointments and to study while holding down two full-time jobs with no car, sprinting all over San Francisco, attempting to keep himself and his son clean--it just does not stop. Watch Smith's face during the film--he shows us a man who only just manages to fend off despair. He bleeds and weeps because of the injustice in the world, with disappointment at how his potential has been wasted, with the weight of all his past failures, and with worry for his son. But he clings to the path he has chosen in the belief that it will lead him from this torment. One can actually see the dead look in Smith's eyes, the punch-drunk expression of one who is suffering, who is juggling so many burdens that his mind spills over with the effort, for whom a seemingly minor setback is a Big Deal. Smith gets it, and he makes us get it, too.

Incidentally, he could probably have been a stuntman or a professional athlete. He has had running scenes in many of his films to date, and in this movie he looks ready to set a new record for the 400 meters. Smith is a little too fit and energetic for a homeless guy who hardly sleeps and eats in a soup kitchen for much of the movie, but his running and carrying feats illustrate Gardner's bulldog tenacity, and how his own physical power and endurance aided him in achieving his ends. All I have to say is this movie is one of the best this year. I couldn't believe how good Will Smith did in this film. I also couldn't imagine a bone density scanner salesman lived a part of his life this way. Sleeping in a bathroom at a Subway station! On top of toilet paper! It made me feel good that I sleep in a bed at night! I do hope with an inspiring story like this, that he claims any upcoming awards.

Title Accurate - Never give up pursuits despite odds

I love the whole concept of the story and its' truthfulness - never give up despite odds - to keep focus on putting first and caring for your child as number one priority in your life. I love the emphasis on keeping hope and belief alive, and turning away from anger and negativity when faced with those things. I loved the performance of all, especially of Will Smith and his son. It is obvious that the son was chosen to play the part not for his true relationship with his real father, but because he was the best actor for the part; this after looking at other "son" actors who did not measure up to the role. Together Will Smith and his son played exactly as the person whom the movie was based on wanted them to. It was wonderful to see that one help direct the movie and make sure that all was portrayed as it really happened. The movie taught us to be courageous, strong, hopeful, confident, and to feel (cry, laugh, etc.) but to stay focused and not give up your dream/s; to work to make them a reality, and to never feel inadequate to have them. The movie was indeed appropriately titled, as it was one man's PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS for himself and his son. What a good role model for other single fathers or single mothers, lone grandmothers or grandfathers, single aunts, uncles or brothers and/or lone sisters who have to raise other/s successfully despite the odds working against them (with little or no money/and or job, etc.) Study, reading, education, determination, and hard work is a must to realize your dream/s!!!