The Pursuit of Happyness

Joy warms a person's heart while happiness merely pleases. But for children, happiness means joy; having toy cars, video game times, TV times, snacks before bedtime, new pet, playing with friends, going to carnival and doing all the things they can.

The Pursuit of Happyness is an American biographical drama film directed by Gabriele Muccino released in 2006 based on part life of Chris Gardner, a single parent who can't make enough money to keep a roof over his head and that of his child.

In 1981, San Francisco, Chris Gardner (Will Smith), the smart salesman and family man invests the family savings in portable bone-density scanners, an apparatus twice as expensive as an x-ray machine but with a slightly clearer image which he tries to demonstrate and sell to doctors. The investment proves to be a white elephant which financially breaks the family, bringing troubles to his relationship with his wife Linda (Thandie Newton) leaves him and moves to New York. Their son Christopher (Jaden Smith) remains with Chris.

Chris Gardner

Without money and wife but totally committed with his son, Chris sees the chance to fight for a stockbroker internship position at Dean Witter, vying for one career in the end of six months training period without any salary with other twenty candidates even life continues to offer him setbacks. One day, he is called into an office and in it were the heads of Dean Witter. Chris thinks that he is about to be told the job will not be his as he says that he wore a shirt and tie for his final day. Then they tell him that he has been an excellent trainee and offered him the position as a broker. Chris struggles to hold back tears. Outside he begins to cry as the busy people of San Francisco walk past him. He rushes to his son's daycare, hugging him and knowing that after everything him and his son had been through, things would be all right.

The final scene shows Chris walking with his son down a street. His son is telling him a joke, when a wealthy business man in a suit walks past. Chris looks back as the man continues on. The man in the suit is none other than the real Chris Gardner.

One of the best scene reminds me of "Life is Beautiful", a father trying to protect his son from their circumstances by ways of fun. In the film, Chris will play a little game with his son, pretends that the bone density scanner is a time machine back in dinosaur time and finding a "safe cave" to hide against the danger fossil reptiles which in fact, a cruddy subway toilet that shelter them for the night. And we can see the fear in his face when he burst into tears, holding his sleeping son in his left arm tightly and keeping the door closed with his right foot when someone trying to intrude in the middle of the night. We always said money isn't everything and certainly can't buy happiness but having no money, we can't get happiness and protecting our love ones either. 

The Pursuit of Happyness is one of the best touching and inspirational film based on true story, most people would have given up somewhere along the way with all of the obstacles that befell him but he never gave up and stay on with a positive attitude. You will feel like crying with him at the end of the film when he finally gets the job.

Don’t ever let someone tell you that you can’t do something. 

Not even me. You got a dream, you gotta protect it. 

When people can’t do something themselves,

they’re gonna tell you that you can’t do it. 

You want something, go get it.

Period.

Movie Trailer: