Movie Review: The Pursuit of Happyness (2024)

Edina Ferns Movie Review: The Pursuit of Happyness (1)

Edina Ferns

Project Manager at Tactical | Ex - Tedx Organizer | Enthusiastic about the world of social and digital.

Published Jan 4, 2019

Synopsis of the movie

The Pursuit of Happyness, is a rags to riches story about family, love and seeking the American Dream.

Will Smith depicts Christopher Gardner, a sales representative attempting to make a decent living for his wife and child. However, his livelihood, hawking costly bone-density scanners that most doctors do not need, has abandoned him and those he adores floating on the very edge of a disaster. As the family's monetary issues mount, his wife deserts him and their child due to pressure.

Gardner's life goes from terrible to more awful as he and his child are expelled from their home and should survive in the city of San Francisco. Soon, Gardner and his son are homeless and are compelled to move starting with one place then onto the next staying in city shelters on great evenings and in public washrooms on the bad.

As his desperation starts building up, Gardner sticks constantly to the expectation that his diligent work will in the end pay off. In addition, his quest for a better life portrays an incredible bond between the father and son that no incident can demolish.

Things begin looking good for Gardner as he applies for an internship with a stock brokerage firm. Despite the fact that the entry-level position is unpaid, one of the 20 interns will be selected for a full time job at the firm. The goal-oriented sales representative fights unconquerable chances to make himself emerge from his competitors with expectations of getting the position. Despite his difficulties, he never shows his poor conditions to his associates, notwithstanding venturing to such an extreme as to loan one of his supervisors $5 for taxi fare, an amount that he cannot bear. At the end of his internship, Gardner is called for a meeting with his superiors and he then discovers that he has earned a full time job at the firm.

The epilogue uncovers that Gardner proceeded to form his own multimillion-dollar brokerage firm.

Theme/Idea of the movie

The Pursuit of Happyness is a film based on the life of the tycoon Christopher Gardner. This film demonstrates the battles that Chris Gardner faces while attempting to make a good life for himself and his child. The main themes of this film is survival, determination, and never giving up on your dreams.

One of the fundamental themes in the film is determination. Determination is that you can accomplish anything you need if you invest sufficient effort and do not surrender even when times are hard. You can see this all through the film when Chris Gardner keeps running from place to put just to be there on time.

The vast majority in the situation of Chris Gardner would simply give up. In any case, Chris demonstrates that you can leave being homeless, unsuccessful, and unhappy and turn out to be actually the opposite. Not exclusively did Chris Gardner leave being homeless yet he likewise turned into a self-multi-millionaire. He did the majority of this while being a single parent.

Character analysis of - Christopher Gardner

Christopher Gardner is a hardworking, mindful, and smart man. He is a dedicated dad and an ambitious employee. Chris has all that it takes to be happy and successful. Nevertheless, his luck appears to always be against him. Through everything, Chris tries to be positive about his future.

At an early stage in Chris' story, he understands his objectives and the different obstructions he should defeat to reach them. Even though Chris is unaware of the obstacles he might face, he remains determined to do everything he can to achieve his objectives. His vitality and drive guide him to attain some of hardest things in life.

Movie Review: The Pursuit of Happyness (2024)

FAQs

What is the main point of the movie Pursuit of Happiness? ›

The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner tells the story of a struggling salesman who never gave up trying to find true happiness for himself and his son. He faced many challenges in his life but overcame adversity to succeed above all odds.

Is The Pursuit of Happyness a good movie? ›

"Pursuit of Happiness" is a very warm and above all, a very inspiring story about family, determination, and never letting go of one's dream. Very few people, I think, could or would have tolerated what Gardner did in order to make a better life for himself and his son.

Is The Pursuit of Happiness Based on a true story? ›

Yes, The Pursuit of Happyness is based on the true story of Chris Gardner as told in his memoir of the same name. He is portrayed by Will Smith in the movie.

What is the pursuit of happiness about summary? ›

What happened at the end of the pursuit of happiness? ›

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.

Does pursuit of happyness make you cry? ›

From the memorable scene of Chris and his son sleeping in a BART station restroom to the uplifting finale, The Pursuit of Happyness will certainly have you wiping at your cheeks.

Why should people watch The Pursuit of Happyness? ›

In conclusion, The Pursuit of Happyness is a strong and moving movie that will undoubtedly have an impact on viewers. It's a must-watch movie with excellent performances by Will Smith and a gifted supporting cast, a potent message of hope and resilience, and a sobering reminder of homelessness and poverty.

What was the saddest scene in pursuit of happyness? ›

Of the many sad scenes in The Pursuit of Happyness, the saddest might be when Captain America is left behind. Christopher (Jaden Christopher Syre Smith) has been hanging on by threads to his five-year-old dignity and hope.

What are two values that are important to Chris in the pursuit of happiness? ›

Two important values to Chris were, his love for his son, and his determination, never giving up even though he was down on his luck.

What is the social issue in the pursuit of happiness? ›

The result of this study showed that social conflicts found in The Pursuit of Happyness film were: (1) Social conflict between Chris and his wife, Linda. It was caused by financial problems, and the effect, Linda left Chris and his son to New York, (2) Social conflict between Chris Gardner and the cabbie.

What is the conflict in the pursuit of happiness? ›

The movie follows Chris as he fails professionally and his wife leaves him,. Chris being financially broke, homeless has to raise his son while earning money and do an unpaid internship at a brokerage firm. The conflict in the movie revolves around passion, parenting and determination.

Why did the mom leave in pursuit of happiness? ›

Chris's unpaid internship does not please Linda, who eventually leaves for New York, because she might earn a job at her sister's boyfriend's new restaurant. After Chris bluntly tells her that she is incapable of being a single parent, she agrees that Christopher will remain with Chris.

What is the meaning of Happyness? ›

happiness. noun. hap·​pi·​ness ˈhap-i-nəs. : a state of well-being and contentment : joy.

Did Chris Gardner get hit by a car in real life? ›

Did Chris really get hit by a car while chasing after a stolen piece of medical equipment? In a rather intense scene in the movie, Will Smith's Chris Gardner is struck by a car as he chases after a stolen bone density scanner. This is an element of fiction added by The Pursuit of Happyness screenwriter Steven Conrad.

What does the Rubik's Cube symbolize in the pursuit of happiness? ›

The movie, “The Pursuit of Happiness”, which is due out next month, is based on the rags-to-riches story of stockbroker Chris Gardner with the cube a metaphor for the persistence he needs to overcome challenges and achieve his dreams.

Why did Chris go to jail in the pursuit of happiness? ›

He was taken to jail and a judge ordered that he stay there, for ten days, as punishment for being unable to pay $1,200 in parking tickets. Jackie then took Chris Jr. away to live with her on the East Coast, but she eventually decided not to press charges over the incident.

Does Chris become rich in the pursuit of happiness? ›

The story of Chris Gardner, who climbed out of homelessness to became a millionaire stockbroker, is being turned into a motion picture. It's also the subject of Gardner's own just-released book, "The Pursuit of Happyness." The unique spelling of "happiness."

What is a good movie on Netflix to make you cry? ›

The Notebook

This romantic classic is undeniably one of the saddest movies on Netflix. Starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, it tells the tale of a young couple who fall in love in the 1940s. You will absolutely cry.

What causes happy crying? ›

According to research from 2015, happy tears happen when you experience emotions so intense they become unmanageable. When these emotions begin to overwhelm you, you might cry or scream (perhaps both) in order to help get those emotions out.

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