I’ve heard a lot about “The Pursuit of Happyness” but just got around to watching it the other night. Now I can’t figure out why I waited so long.
Will Smith stars as Chris Gardner, a man with a young family comprised of his wife Linda (Thandie Newton) and his son Chris (played by Will’s own son, Jaden Smith). Chris works selling bone density scanners – he sunk his entire life savings into buying several of the units, and must hit the sidewalks to find doctors interested in buying the units. Linda works double shifts at a restaurant while Little Chris attends a cut-rate daycare. All in all, the family is scraping by, each doing the best they can but still unable to pay their bills. The weight is heavy on Chris’s mind as he goes out selling – he knows that until he can sell another machine, his family will be hungry.
One day while walking past Dean Whitter, he sees a man pull up in a nice sports car. He wants a car just like it, and asks the driver what he does for a living. He’s a stock broker, and he says all you need to become a stock broker is to be good with numbers and with people. Chris has both those skills, and decides to apply. He’s offered an internship, but there’s one catch – there is no salary unless he’s accepted into the program. Essentially, he would be working full-time for six months, with no money. This is the only chance he’s been given for a while, so he takes it, selling his machines at night and on weekends.
Linda decides she can’t take the stress anymore and leaves him. Chris can’t handle the thought of losing his son, so he begs Linda to let him have custody. Linda agrees, taking off for New York and leaving her son with his father. But things spiral downward, until Chris and his son are homeless.
In the end, Chris is offered the job with Dean Whitter, just in the nick of time.
Based on a true story, this film is gut-wrenching, and yet beautiful. It’s rated PG-13 for some language, although to be honest, I didn’t pick up on anything really shocking. This movie is a testament to the strength of the human will and how we can succeed if we’re willing to put in the work and the faith it takes.
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Random Acts of Kindness — Spreading “Happyness”