User Reviews

Here's the deal: It's real, it's heavy, and it's inspirational, but NOT AT ALL cheesy. Don't like that? Don't see it. I won't say much else. I will say that Will Smith was shockingly good now that he's paid his dues with "Men in Black" and "Bad Boys."

I was very happy that this film never got political and blamed Reagan for the number of "down on their luck" people that were shown, nor was the race card ever pulled out. It was also refreshing that Smith's character never blamed anybody for his troubles.

It's very funny at parts, but be prepared for some serious drama. In no ways is it cliché or contrived or boring. Let's just say that's it not Oliver Stone dramatic. This truly is a must see. To say "I laughed, I cried" would be really lame. It is the truth, though.

We know that Scorsese's crowning achievement "The Departed" is going to take the cake at the Oscars, and I won't be complaining. But this movie deserves to be experienced and taken in by the masses.

I was fortunate to see this movie in a screening. I really enjoyed it, and felt that it lived up to the teary and heartwarming trailer. While the movie has an uplifting "go for your dreams" message, the deepest theme is that of family.

Will Smith did a great job as the father trying to protect his son from their circumstances of becoming homeless as much as he can, while at the same time trying to work in the competitive world of stocks as an un-paid intern. Jaden Smith was outstanding as the preschool-aged kid who knows things are going wrong and tries to have a stiff upper lip, but just can't do it all the time.

The story is very touching and was close to home for me. My family has been through some tough times, and this movie just reminded me of how much my parents struggled to provide for our family and yet kept life fun as much as they could. I am excited to go see this with my parents as a way to say thank you.

A father and salesman is in "The Pursuit of Happiness" in this 2006 film starring Will Smith, Thandie Newton, and Jaden Smith. This is the real-life story of Chris Gardner, who was eking out a living selling bone density scanners while his wife (Newton) worked double shifts at a hospital. They weren't making it financially. One day Gardner sees a man get out of fancy car and asks him how he made it. The man says he's a stockbroker. Chris applies to the Dean Witter Reynolds apprentice program, unaware that there's no salary. He gets in by being terribly persistent. Then his wife leaves him, and Chris insists that their son (Jaden Smith) be left with him.

"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. The two were homeless on and off, and those scenes are devastating. The apprentice program takes 20 people, and only one is chosen, yet Chris goes for it, bringing everything he owns to work when he had no place to live. How he holds it together and talks to clients and makes contacts is incredible. Frankly, if this weren't a true story, I would still have liked it but wondered how possible any of it even was.

Will Smith has proved himself an excellent actor in the past - the way he completely submerged his personality into Mohammed Ali is a good example. Here, he's a charming, bright person who is always a day late and a dollar short. Through Smith's performance, one can feel Gardner's pain, frustration, and joy.

The film's message is clear - the brick walls aren't there to keep you out, they're there to keep out the people who don't really want to get to the other side. And family is everything. In his pursuit of happiness, Chris Gardner goes after his dream on his own terms, integrity and humor intact, relentlessly, all the while knowing that the most important thing is the little boy at his side.

Chris Gardner is a struggling salesman who finds himself having to look after his son when his wife gives up and leaves him. Using his charm as much as his academic record, Chris wins his way onto an internship programme of twenty, with only one job at the end. He has the determination to make it but with no salary and almost no income from his sales efforts, Chris finds himself homeless and increasingly desperate as he tries to keep up with his peers by day and survive the rest of the time.

This is an unusual film that, were it totally successful, could be called a victim of that success. Certainly the story it is telling is uplifting and very much testimony to the determination and courage of one man to make it despite tremendous odds. OK so he is not diving into burning buildings to save babies but it is still an engaging and inspiring story because of the sheer endless scale of the challenge and disappointment. It also helps that the sheer weight of soul-destroying challenges that he works through makes it almost impossible for all but the hardest hearted viewer not to feel happy for Chris when he finally makes it (as we know he ultimately will, or else his story would not be a film!) even if "making it" is "making money", which some viewers may find to be not totally worthy in itself. Ironically though this same weight of events also works against the film because it does make it a consistently hard watch. It is praise in a way because I personally tensed up with every added sorrow and this happened because of how convincing and heartbreaking this festival of misery and unfairness was.

A massive part of this working as well as it does is Smith's performance. I last saw him in I Am Legend where I thought that the narrative development in that film totally undid his wonderfully convincing performance in the first half. Here again he is quite brilliant – utterly convincing, showing a flicker of spirit deep within him while also clearly showing each kick, each challenge on his increasingly worn face. Smith junior could have been one of those terribly cute-kid type roles but just about avoids it. Sure he is cute but he is not annoying, mainly because of how natural he is. I think he is really helped by the fact that he does seem to be able to act (or at least "pretend") but more than he already has a relationship with his father that feeds their on screen one. They work well together but ultimately the film is owned by Will Smith, who is great.

Overall then this is an engaging and ultimately inspiring film but not one that is a lot of fun to watch. By virtue of how convincing Smith and the overall delivery is, I felt the tension in my own body, felt the crushing blows of each misfortune or challenge. It helps the film in a way but it did seem like the "uplifting" material is a long time coming.

I was blessed to have seen this movie last night. It made me laugh, it made me cry and it made me love life.

This movie is a great movie that depicts a love of a father for his son. Will Smith did an incredible job and deserves every accolade available to him. His son also did a fantastic job.

There is a great lesson that is learned in this movie and it truly shares the struggles of everyday life.

This movie was heart felt and touching. It was truly an experience worth having. Thank you for making this movie and I look forward to seeing it again.

Chris Gardner is struggling in life to live up his tax expenses and other things. His wife now leaves him with his son. Chris will do what ever it takes to pay his expenses and to get a new job.

Will Smith is a great actor, now taking serious roles. His acting, along with Thandie Newton and Jaden Smith, were great. This film is based on a true story by the life of Chris Garner who struggles with his life and is now a multi-millionaire.

Although this film is depressing in many points, Will Smith's son, Jaden Smith, lifts up the screen. Thomas Jefferson says we need to pursue happiness. That's what Chris Gardner does. He never gives up. He could even inspire some people.

This is a good, uplifting film. Great acting and has a great message. This will be a good family film and has it's father-son moments.

If you ever wanted to see a movie that portrayed what really makes a man, then you must see this movie.

Forget Stalone. Forget Arnold. Forget Bond. Forget all those romantic comedy whimps. Bruce Willis never had to make this many life threatening decisions in Die Hard.

Will Smith gives a better performance of toughness here than he did portraying Muhammed Ali.

This movie is raw. This movie will force you to examine your manhood. See if you can look in the mirror after watching this film.

Fathers, don't let the PG-13 rating fool you. This movie is not for kids. If you let your child see this movie you may regret it. Your child may never be able to look at you the same way again. Your child will wonder why you are not more like Chris Gardner.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

Going into a film like THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS, the audience can basically assume that in the end, that happ"y"ness will be found in the end... leading to a tear-jerking finale of overwhelming emotion. As one would expect, that's exactly how THE PURSUIT OF Happiness ends, but even though there is virtually no level of surprise, this Will Smith vehicle somehow manages to stand above similarly themed sap-fests.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS tells the true story of Christopher Garndener (played by Will Smith in a very touching performance), a down-on-his luck salesman who finds himself raising his son on his own in the hardest of financial times. In an attempt to make life better for himself and his young son (played by Smith's real life son Jaden), Chris embarks on a demanding internship at the firm Dean & Whitter. It's an unpaid position with no promise of a job afterwords, but Gardener sees it as his only choice and despite being homeless and broke, he carries out the internship with determination to be the one man chosen for a job with the firm.

The movie follows a very conventional format, but it does so in a refreshingly unconventional manner. Gabrielle Muccino, the film's director, embraces a grittier look for the film and wisely chooses to not emphasize the emotions at every possible moment. Too often a film like this seems to be gunning for tears from it's audience at every possible moment, but Muccino shows genuine restraint and instead lets the drama play out very naturally.

Many times throughout the movie, it seemed impossible how difficult this poor mans life... and knowing that this actually happened to someone makes the film all the more powerful. Will Smith grounds the familiar story with a quiet, humble, and stoic determination to succeed that is only overshadowed by a love for his son. Smith conveys the conflicting feelings of love, failure, stress, and anger without ever losing the gentle hearted soul that makes Christopher Gardener. One of my largest reservations about the film was the casting of Smith's real-life son, however it turns out to be a very wise choice. Jaden Smith is so at ease acting opposite his father that he succeeds in avoiding the cloyingly annoying sweetness of most child actors. It's a very natural relationship between the two that works very well.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS transcends it's conventionally inspirational story by taking many unconventional approaches as mentioned above. However, there are a few moments that stand out as slightly manipulative... in particular, a sequence in which Smith and his son spend a night in a subway pretending to hide from Dinosaurs. However, in a genre that is usually overflowing with sap, THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS makes it through the majority of its 2 hour running time without overdoing it. For that, THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS exceeded my expectations, and Smith's performance is deserving of award-consideration at year's end.

... B+ ...

I have been a fan of Will Smith for years and I have to say this may be his best film yet! "The Pursuit of Happiness" is just a wonderful (based on a true) story, full of adventure, hope, and pain. I saw the movie last night in a packed theater. Big Willie Weekend has returned, and for good reason! It's a great movie to see during the holidays and definitely a tear-jerker! Perfect for a date, a night out with friends, or even with family. If you ever thought Will Smith really couldn't act (and shame on you!), you'll think otherwise once you see this movie. You can really feel what he's going through just by looking in his eyes. And Jaden Smith is too adorable! Their on screen chemistry is almost unbearable to watch! Go see this movie! Great acting, great directing, great writing...you won't regret it!

I was a little reluctant before watching this movie, I have seen "Seven Pounds" recently, and found it disappointing (although saved by good acting) which, together with my low opinion of Muccino's Italian movies, contributed to my doubts on The pursuit of Happiness, but I had to reconsider my opinion, since I really appreciated it, and was able to stand the huge amount of advertising on Italian TV, which often destroys the pleasure of watching any movie.

The plot is evidently but not annoyingly marked by the solid American belief that man's efforts and commitment lead to success, with that maybe too optimistic faith that everything will turn better, and your sacrifices will once get the deserved prize (although life often shows something different), but there's no pretence of too much didascalism, it's a quite realistic portray of the hardships of life, with a happy ending aimed at leaving the audience with some self-confidence and trust in others.

The overall impression of anxiety, with all that running after people, appointments, occasions, is softened by some tender moments between father and son (at times melodramatic, but never too melodramatic) and also relieved by funny moments.

The movie gets to leave to viewer with a positive sense of fullness of life (it could be titled The Pursuit of Life, since life, not only happiness, is to be pursued in every aspect), of the necessity to find a reason to go on, both for yourself and for the dear ones, with a strong meaning that there are really few valuable things in life, all the rest is pure nonsense. Really contrasting with Seven pounds, where a man, on the contrary, gives up and chooses death, leaving the viewer with a sense of sad surrender and illogical, besides humanly disturbing, self-abandonment.

Will Smith truly fits the role, abandoning his rather blank face à la Fresh Prince of Bel Air, he offers a very effective and convincing performance and the young boy playing Christopher is really cute.

My husband and I had an opportunity to attend a screener of this movie last night. We had seen several commercials and a trailer for the film and we had high hopes, we were not disappointed. Many times "inspired by" films feel like hard sells or bids for Oscar glory. "Pursuit of Happiness" is none of that. This is an honest, meaningful film that will stay with you long after you leave the theatre. The viewer becomes fully invested in the struggles of Chris Gardner and his son. Will and Jadyn Smith deserve huge kudos. The real-life father and son dynamic enriched the film and don't know if other actors could have been as powerful. Be warned, there are several tissue inducing moments. This movie is well worth a ticket!

In this journey through the struggles and trials that single father, Chris Gardner, has to take, you see the real side of hardwork and integrity. Chris Gardner, played by Will Smith, Is just trying to give his son a good home as he's on the pursuit of happiness. This movie doesn't only show the hard work of a single parent, but it shows that no matter how hard you get pushed down, you should always get up and keep going. I love the strong connection that the father and son roles have in this movie, it seems so real, and that's because it is! The father (Will smith) and son (Jaden Smith) are father and son outside the movie realm too. Actor, Will Smith, shows his true emotional side during this film, as if he was actually going through the situations occurring in the movie. There couldn't have been a better cast picked for this movie, the pain, struggle, love, and hope seem so real as if you're watching a documentary on someone's life. Smith, usually looked at as a comedic actor, shows what he can really do by jerking the tears from the audience's eyes.

I was involved with one of the first test audiences almost a year ago, and came away quite impressed with the acting performances and heartfelt punch of Pursuit of Happiness. This is easily one of Smith's best films, as he pours his heart and soul into the main character. While the plot may remain a bit transparent, it leaves you asking the question of yourself - how long would you keep battling to get what you really want out of life? I plan on seeing the film again when it releases to the general public, and am very interested to see what changes were made after running it through the test screenings. As I saw it then, it needed very few, if any, changes.

No one would make a movie about a guy struggling to succeed who doesn't ultimately succeed. Certainly, no one would make a Will Smith movie about a guy who breaks under the strain of his difficult life, abandons his child and dies. That's just not going to happen. And because we know that -- because we've seen more than one movie in our lives -- "The Pursuit of Happiness" has a particular challenge: To take the real-life rags-to-riches story of stockbroker Chris Gardner, a story with a preordained happy ending, and imbue it with tension and suspense.

The great surprise of the picture is that it's not corny. It may have seemed that way from the trailer: Will Smith tells his son, "Don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't do something -- even me." But in context, even that moment isn't cloying. The beauty of the film is its honesty. In its outlines, it's nothing like the usual success story depicted on screen, in which, after a reasonable interval of disappointment, success arrives wrapped in a ribbon and a bow. Instead, this success story follows the pattern most common in life -- it chronicles a series of soul-sickening failures and defeats, missed opportunities, sure things that didn't quite happen, all of which are accompanied by a concomitant accretion of barely perceptible victories that gradually amount to something. In other words, it all feels real.

Gabriele Muccino ("L'Ultimo Bacio") directed it, and his fine Italian hand can be detected in Andrea Guerra's score, with its Italianate wistfulness and whimsicality, and in Muccino's very European enjoyment of American poverty and desperation. He finds both on the streets of San Francisco -- circa 1981, in this case, but some things don't change -- and he films them in a way that we're always aware: Our hero works hard. He's doing everything he can, and he has a son he is raising on his own. Yet even without a false move on his part, just an extra push of bad luck, he might land on those streets, and with such a thud he might never rise.

As in all rags-to-riches tales, we find the protagonist, Chris, unappreciated and looked down upon at the start. He is struggling to make a go of it by selling bone-density scanners and spends his days lugging around a thing that looks like a movie projector case and hearing doctors tell him they're not interested. His wife disdains him. Actually, the treatment of the wife is the first hint that "The Pursuit of Happiness" is going to be an usually uncompromising movie. The wife (Thandie Newton) is a poisonous harpie, with no redeeming traits. The filmmakers are not messing around: Chris has it bad.

In fact, he is an extraordinary man, but no one is paying attention to him long enough to notice. He decides he wants to get an internship as a stockbroker for Dean Witter and, realizing that his resume looks weak, he sets out to meet the man in charge and say a few words on his own behalf. Throughout the film, had Chris had just a little more pride and a little less intelligence, he would blow it. But he remains friendly and resilient, never indulging in anger, never letting anyone else's mistaken perception of him wound him at his core. He stays fixed on his objective and warm in his response to the world -- and even then, things don't improve right away.

Having proceeded to establish Chris as a great guy, "The Pursuit of Happiness" puts him through hell. The wife leaving is just the beginning (actually that seems a little like good luck). Chris has to raise a son (played by Will Smith's own real-life son, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith) and do an unpaid internship, while selling those bone-density scanners on the side. If it weren't for the soup kitchens at Glide Memorial, he and his son often wouldn't eat.

Will Smith has the right quality for the role -- he's an easy man to root for -- but he augments this by channeling some inner quality of desperation and need. Frankly, I don't know where he found it; Smith was touched by luck at a very young age. Yet he does find it. In the taxicab scene, in which he tries to impress a prospective employer by solving the Rubik's Cube, and in every other scene in which Chris has to sit or stand there smiling while another man pronounces on his fate, Smith is right there with the right emotions: absolute hope and total terror.

This film is an amazing heartfelt performance certain to influence and motivate its audience to reach new heights. This film is based on a true gripping and dramatic story about a man who has nothing and his struggle toward success. The plot development can be slow but offers a lot of insight towards character development and explore these themes about patience and success and especially what motivates us and keeps us going. I recommend for everyone to watch this, whether rich businessman, student, or teacher for this will change everyone's perspective on life.

In short - Amazing movie. Very poignant, relevant and uplifting. Leaves you thinking about it for days!!

By far, the meatiest acting that Will Smith has tackled. He takes down the "Big Willie" style and is just a plain old average Joe. He is like many people, intelligent yet underachieving. It isn't until he is put out on the street that he stops with the get rich quick schemes and tries to find a "real" job.

Smith's son Jaden is very natural in the film. That can be directly attributed to Will playing his father. Will be interesting to see if Jaden is that good playing opposite someone else. Still, he gives one of the purist performances of a first-timer in quite a while.

Specifics of how broke the character really was has been debated, but I don't think that takes away from the film. There is a sense that the film could have gone a lot darker than it did. It always seems to build up to opening that door, but never quit steps through. I think all in all that serves the movie well, though some may have liked to seen more struggle.

Great stuff, Will can do anything he wants. Now he just needs to try and tackle the western genre again, this time with a suitable story.

This is one of the best films of this year. For a year that was fueled by controversy and crap, it was nice to finally see a film that had a true heart to it. From the opening scene to the end, I was so moved by the love that Will Smith has for his son. Basically, if you see this movie and walk out of it feeling nothing, there is something that is very wrong with you. Loved this movie, it's the perfect movie to end the year with. The best part was after the movie, my friends and I all got up and realized that this movie had actually made the four of us tear up! It's an amazing film and if Will Smith doesn't get at least an Oscar Nom, then the Oscars will just suck. In fact Will Smith should actually just win an Oscar for this role.!!! I loved this movie!!!! Everybody needs to see especially the people in this world that take everything for granted, watch this movie, it will change you!

As the main protagonist in Gabriele Muccino's unsentimental film points out – "The pursuit of happiness" is written in to the declaration of independence. Happiness might not be, but the pursuit is. And I suppose the point of this film is to show just how miserable that pursuit can be – as all manner of things go wrong for Will Smith, son Jaden, and ever-bitchy wife (Newton).

Chris Gardner is a salesman down on his luck. Having invested his life savings in techno-marvellous (but unnecessarily expensive) bone scanners, he finds it extremely difficult to sell enough just to feed his family. His wife (a thanklessly bitchy role for Thandie Newton) has clearly had enough, and threatens to leave if Chris doesn't pick up paychecks any time soon. One day Chris sees a grin-infested man exiting an exquisitely swish sports car on his way to work. In a chance encounter, he queries to him as to what he does to earn such luxuries. He responds, "I'm a stockbroker". And from there, Gardner decides to pursue his own version of "Happiness", albeit through a very hard route.

For the most part – The Pursuit of Happiness is more of a disaster movie than a fish-out-of-water tale. After getting accepted for an internship at a stockbroking firm, the film operates as a series of events in which absolutely everything conspires against our hero and his son. From mad hippies attempting to steal his bone scanners to getting arrested for not paying parking fines, the film – despite being inspired by real events – depicts some ridiculous situations that send our hero near to the brink of bonkers. Yet despite this, The Pursuit of Happiness never feels forced, perhaps thanks to the fine performance of its lead. Smith is on fine form, as is his son Jaden, acting with a natural charm and verve that presumably runs in the family. In between the moments of anguish and desperation are some truly moving moments of father-son bonding, one of which involves our two hapless heroes having to spend the night in a train station toilet, to avoid snoozing in the street. But by the end of the film you should feel no shame in shedding a deserved tear for Gardner, as the movie manages to avoid the kind of schmaltzy sentimentality that rolls the eyes against so many other Hollywood films, for a truly heartfelt ending that gives our characters the kind of reward they have worked so diligently for. It is a hard watch at the best of times, but will win you over in the end.

In 1981, in San Francisco, the smart salesman and family man Chris Gardner (Will Smith) invested the family savings in Ostelo National bone-density scanners, an apparatus twice more expensive than x-ray with practically the same resolution. The white elephant financially breaks the family, bringing troubles to the relationship with his wife that leaves him and moves to New York. Without money and wife, but totally committed with his son Christopher (Jaden Smith), Chris sees the chance to fight for a stockbroker internship position at Dean Witter, disputing for one career in the end of six months training period without any salary with other twenty candidates. Meanwhile, homeless, he has all sorts of difficulties with his son.

"The Pursuit of Happiness" is a touching story of perseverance, commitment and objective in life, and one of the most beautiful and enlightened biographies I have ever see in a movie. The survival capability of Chris Gardner and his love for his son are fantastic examples in a world where we just read and see disgraces in the newspapers and in the television news. The DVD presents the real Chris Gardner, who found the investment firm Gardner Rich in 1987 and became a wealthy man, in the credits, and I loved the last scene when Will Smith and his son crosses and looks at Chris Gardner wearing a suitcase. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "À Procura da Felicidade" ("The Pursuit of Happiness")

Movies theme: Money equals happiness. It's boring and just plain wrong. But very American.

I didn't like the movie because is expected and plays on good sentiments. It talks about the American dream. It is so too much American, that is banal. They say that it is based on a true story but in my opinion that takes things to extremes. Really during all the film I was wondering why he wouldn't find an easier job, since he had a son! Then it sounds like if you don't try to pursuit the dream you are either stupid or doesn't really have one. Life is a little bit more complicated. How responsible is a father who lets his son sleeping in tube's bathroom or not sleeping at all? More than the pursuit of happiness it seems the pursuit of money at any cost.