Maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue. And maybe we can actually never have it no matter what.” - Poignant lines uttered by the lead man from the depths of desolation.
Inspired by a true story centered on the life of Chris Gardner (Will Smith), The Pursuit of Happyness is your typical rags to riches story, but told with such poetic finesse and wracked with such pathos as
melt the hardest of hearts. The raw emotion spewed forth from this production depicts the lengths to which a father would go to provide a better life for his offspring. Beautifully produced, it captures the very essence and resilience of one human spirit, its trials and victories, in its pursuit for the American Dream.
Narrated in comically categorized chapters, the movie chronicles the life of Chris Gardener and his struggle to make ends meet selling bone-density scanners. In his quest to break the vicious cycle ofpoverty, Chris decides to throw caution to the wind and change his career path. This notion comes to pass when walking by a stock brokerage one day, Chris is intrigued by how happy everyone leaving the building seems to be. In his pursuit for such seemingly unattainable happiness, Chris loses his wife Linda (Thandie Newton) who, frustrated by his seeming inability to get his act together, decides to relocate to New York.
Due to his tireless persistence and an interesting incident involving a Rubik’s Cube, Chris manages to land himself a spot in the Dean Witter internship program which only takes on 20 individuals at a time, eventually retaining ONE at the end of 6 months. The task now is to balance a non-paying internship and rigorous study regime with sales calls to potential purchasers of his bone density scanners. In a mad dash to stay on top of the program, sell his scanners and ensure his son has a roof over his head; Chris struggles desperately to stay afloat.
I found myself rooting for Chris. His joy became mine as did his heartache. Despite the ability to relate to the frustration and hopelessness of his situation, I could not help but hold on to my faith in and my belief that a dogged fortitude will ultimately conquer all. That eventually good will triumph and all his efforts will not have been in vain. Thankfully, typical to many an inspirational saga, my yearning for a fairytale ending finally comes to pass in a tear jerking finale.
Despite the clichéd topic being tackled, this movie is buoyed by the emotionally charged and charismatic performance of Will Smith, perfectly complemented by the understated brilliance of Jaden Smith, Will Smith’s real life son who plays Christopher, the 5 year old Gardener who tries hard to adapt to his unstable environment. Smith Jr. has all the makings of a great actor, his subtle performance executed to perfection, exhibiting a mature brand of acting far beyond his years.
Though some may argue that the Pursuit of Happyness is nothing more than a Will Smith vanity project, I beg to differ. It is above all a movie of immense depth that effectively showcases the trials and tribulations of the under dog. In an inspiring tale of conviction, Chris proves to unbelievers that dreams can most certainly come true and that the catch is sometimes definitely worth the chase.
What touched me about this flick is the no holds barred reality of it. One mans struggle to emancipate himself from the shackles of poverty and achieve greatness. Many who have been here can relate to Chris’
situation, the hopelessness and bleakness of it all. When things can’t seem to get any worse and then they surprisingly do, it is often difficult to keep on keeping on. But Chris manages to draw strength from within to make things better for his son. The earnest paternal relationship portrayed in this movie
is heart warming as it is inspiring. Through his perseverance and conviction to his dream, Chris eventually achieves what most people in his situation lack the gumption to. He breaks into a white collar industry, eventually opening a multi million dollar business of his own. Call me a softy, but I cannot help but be
inspired and moved by this sublime tale of Chris’ triumphant crack at defying the odds and claiming his dream. If nothing more, this movie should leave us all reassessing our priorities and counting our blessings.