Movie name: The Pursuit of Happiness
Directed by: Gabriele Muccino
Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Thandiwe Newton
Genre: drama
Year: 2006
IMDB rating: 8/10
Pursuit of Happiness is based on the true story of entrepreneur Chris Gardner, who rose from being a lower-class salesman to becoming an upper-class stock broker. It was filmed in 2006 under the direction of Gabriele Muccino. Will Smith plays Christopher Gardner, a salesman who tries to support his wife and child with a decent income. But his line of work—selling pricey bone-density scanners that most doctors don’t need—has left him and those he loves dangling precariously close to a catastrophe. As the family’s financial issues grow, his wife leaves him and their child under duress. Gardner’s life spirals out of control when he and his child are evicted from their home and made to live in San Francisco. Gardner and his kid quickly become homeless and are forced to move from one location to another, spending some nights in local shelters and others in public restrooms. Gardner’s sense of helplessness increases, but he never loses hope that his perseverance will be rewarded. In addition, his quest for a better life shows a father-son tie that nothing can sever.
The main takeaways of the movie are determination, survival, and never giving up on one’s aspirations. Muccino embodied the movie’s concept of finding the good in a bad situation. They were able to represent how the lower class lived in the 1980s as well as explore the challenges that many Americans encountered, such as homelessness, the job market, the breaking apart of a family, and maintaining a family while living in poverty. The film depicts Chris Gardner’s ascent out of poverty through hard work and persistence while also highlighting concerns that are still relevant today.
The hardships Chris Gardner faces in trying to give himself and his child a nice life are shown in this movie. He is a kind, gentle, thoughtful, intelligent man and an industrious father who struggles to make ends meet for his son. His character puts up with all of the hardships he encounters in order to support his family; he never allows his son to grow up without a father to provide for him. Will Smith did Chris Gardner’s character justice by portraying him in such a convincing way. Chris’ journey begins with him understanding his goals and the various obstacles he must overcome in order to achieve them. Even though Chris is unaware of the challenges he may face, he is determined to do everything in his power to achieve his goals. His vitality and desire propel him to accomplish some of life’s most difficult tasks.
We all have dreams, but not everyone puts their heart and soul into them. We are not taught to believe in our dreams against all obstacles, despite what others say about them and despite our social and economic standing in society. Chris came from a poor neighborhood and had little on his plate when he dreamed of a better life for his son and himself. What distinguishes him from the bulk of us is his perseverance and belief in his dream.
Some moviegoers may find the finale a little implausible. It can also be critiqued for its narrow generalization that Chris was an exception and that it cannot be applied to the majority of individuals. The film is based on a true tale, and the adaptation into a film includes certain adjustments to the true event, but this should not detract from the fact that it happened to someone in real life. The world is full of disappointments and failures, and we all have our fair share of them, but hope is one thing that keeps our spirits up.
