The Pursuit of Happyness: Movie Review

One of my favorite movies of all time with Will Smith definitely has to be The Pursuit of Happyness. In mine and I'm sure many other's opinions, this movie was by far one the most fantastic performances that Will Smith has given in his career as an actor.

It all starts off like this. Smith plays Chris Gardner, a struggling salesman who spends his days trying to sell expensive, unnecessary medical equipment to doctors who don't need it (he obtained many of these machines when someone was selling them for dirt cheap and he thought they would be a revolutionary product. Turns out he was wrong). When he randomly runs into a Wall Street trader who informs him all one needs to do his job is be good with people and numbers, Chris decides to pursue a coveted internship at a brokerage; unfortunately, the job is unpaid, which means that he will have to support himself and his son Christopher (Jaden Christopher Syre Smith) without any promise of a paying job in the future.

There isn't much more to tell about Happyness in terms of plot, but it's not because nothing happens; rather, the obstacles that Chris faces are likely familiar to many or most people who watch, read about or follow underdog stories like this. The difference between this tale and others, however, is that it's based upon a true story - naturally with some of the details changed. For example, the real Chris Gardner's son was only about a year old, not five as in the film; whether this was changed because the real story seemed too outlandish or just because Smith's son Jaden was available to play the role remains unknown, but rather than undermining the believability of the tale it adds a counterpoint - namely, the child's perspective - that enriches Gardner's struggles.

But what feels most striking about this film is not its truth or accuracy, at least not in a technical sense. Rather, it's that the film does not seek blame or create unfounded obstacles for the character - particularly racial ones - instead enabling Chris' triumph as a personal one unencumbered by social or political context. Ultimately, this isn't the story of a black man learning how to succeed in a white world, or a poor person becoming rich, but the achievement of one man who looked past the litany of obstacles to which he could have easily surrendered. The fact that no one in the film looks down on him because of his sometimes unkempt appearance, much less the color of his skin, is a testament to the unfiltered purity of the real Gardner's story, and what makes the movie accessible to all audiences.