Will Smith portrays Chris Gardner, a homeless salesman, in the 2006 American biographical drama film The Pursuit of Happyness, which was directed by Gabriele Muccino. Jaden Smith, who plays Gardner’s son Christopher Jr., makes his film debut as a co-star.
The best-selling memoir of the same name, written by Gardner and Quincy Troupe in 2006, serves as the basis for the screenplay by Steven Conrad. It is based on Gardner’s struggle with homelessness for nearly a year. A mural that Gardner observes on the wall outside the daycare facility his son attended is the source of the unusual spelling of the film’s title. The film takes place in 1981 in San Francisco.
Columbia Pictures released the movie on December 15, 2006, to favorable reviews, which praised Smith’s performance and the emotional weight of the story. For Best Actor, Smith was up for two awards: an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.
Plot
Chris Gardner, a San Francisco salesman, spends his entire life savings on portable bone density scanners in 1981. He shows them to doctors and argues that they are a convenient alternative to standard X-rays. Chris’s life is greatly influenced by the scanners. His wife, Linda, who works as a hotel maid, is enraged by the time lag between sales and his growing financial demands, despite the fact that he is able to sell most of them. Despite caring for Christopher Jr., their soon-to-be 5-year-old son, their marriage is becoming increasingly eroded by economic instability.
While Chris tries to sell one of the scanners, he meets Jay Twistle, a lead manager and partner for Dean Witter Reynolds and impresses him by solving a Rubik’s Cube during a taxi ride. Chris doesn’t pay the fare after Jay leaves, so the driver chases him into a BART station and forces him on a train as it is about to leave. However, Chris’s new relationship with Jay earns him an interview to become an intern stockbroker.
Chris reluctantly agrees to paint his apartment for free the day before the interview to delay his landlord’s eviction for late rent. Chris is painting when two police officers show up at his door and arrest him for not paying multiple parking tickets. Chris must spend the night in jail, which makes scheduling his interview the following day more difficult. Chris manages to make it to Dean Witter’s office on time, even though his clothes are still shabby and covered in paint. Chris impresses the interviewers despite his appearance and is offered a six-month unpaid internship. He is one of twenty interns competing for a paid stockbroker position.
Linda is tempted to travel to New York by the prospect of a job at the restaurant owned by her sister’s boyfriend. She abandons Christopher to Chris’ care with regret. However, Chris’s financial issues worsen when his bank account is seized by the IRS for unpaid income taxes, and Chris and his landlord are finally evicted.
Chris and Christopher are left homeless and desperate with only $21.33 in his bank account. Chris is able to get food and beds at the local shelter and eventually makes enough money to pay for a motel room, but the locks are changed when he can’t pay on time, and he and his son are forced to live in the restrooms at local BART stations. Chris eventually locates the scanner that he misplaced earlier in the station. He pays for the repairs by selling his blood and getting a local doctor to buy it. This allows him to focus solely on his stockbroker training.
Chris develops several methods to make sales calls more efficiently because he is disadvantaged by his limited work hours and is aware that the only way to earn the broker position is to maximize his client contacts and profits. One method involves going against firm protocol by personally contacting potential high-value customers.
One sympathetic prospect, Walter Ribbon, a top-level pension fund manager, even takes Chris and Christopher to a San Francisco 49ers game, where Chris befriends some of Mr. Ribbon’s friends, who might also be customers. Chris never tells his coworkers about his difficulties, despite his difficulties. He even lends one of his supervisors, Mr. Frohm, using the remaining five dollars in his wallet to pay for the taxi. Additionally, he prepares for and passes the stockbroker licensing exam.
Chris is summoned to a meeting with the partners on his final internship day. Mr. Chris responds that he thought it was appropriate to dress for the occasion on his final day when Frohm points out that Chris is wearing a nice shirt. Mr. Frohm gives him his thanks and tells Chris that he should wear another one the next day.
He also tells Chris that he has won the sought-after full-time position and pays Chris back for the previous cab ride. Fighting back tears, he shakes hands with the partners, then rushes to Christopher’s daycare to embrace him. They make jokes as they walk down a street and are passed by the real Chris Gardner, dressed in a business suit.
In 1987, Gardner established his own multimillion-dollar brokerage firm, according to an epilogue. In 2006, Gardner sold a minority stake in his brokerage firm in a multimillion-dollar transaction.
Cast 78
(credit – https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1402-the-pursuit-of-happyness/cast)
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Will Smith Chris Gardner
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Jaden Smith Christopher
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Thandiwe Newton Linda
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Brian Howe Jay Twistle
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James Karen Martin Frohm
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Dan Castellaneta Alan Frakesh
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Kurt Fuller Walter Ribbon
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Takayo Fischer Mrs. Chu
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Kevin West World’s Greatest Dad
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George Cheung Chinese Maintenance Worker
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David Michael Silverman Doctor at First Hospital
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Domenic Bove Tim Ribbon
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Geoff Callan Ferrari Owner
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Joyful Raven Hippie Girl
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Scott Klace Tim Brophy
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Rashida Clendening Bus Driver
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Eric Schniewind Doctor
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Peter Fitzsimmons Doctor
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Maurice Sherbanee Roy The Old Neighbor
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Zuhair Haddad Cab Driver
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Victor Raider-Wexler Landlord
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Darryl Fong Policeman
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George Maguire Police Clerk
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Joe Nuñez Driver Who Hits Chris
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Adam Del Rio Shoe-Spotting Intern
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Rocky LaRochelle Motel Manager
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Erin Beers Dean Witter Receptionist
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Rueben Grundy Businessman
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Ming Lo Young Executive
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John Kovacevich Young Executive
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Bonnie Akimoto Doctor’s Receptionist
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Stu Klitsner Dr. Strauk
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Esther Scott Shelter Worker
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Tina D’Elia Shelter Worker
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Cecil Williams Reverend Williams
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David Fine Big Guy Rodney
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George Moffatt Homeless Guy in Line
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Amir Talai Clerk
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Mike Garibaldi Paul
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Jason Frazier Young Man – Bus Fight
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Kevin Crook Smug Intern
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David Haines Other Young Executive
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James Finnerty News Reporter
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Abigail van Alyn Ribbon’s Receptionist
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Bob Greene Doctor at Oakland Memorial Hospital
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Robert Anthony Peters Glide Shelter Worker
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Terri Orth-Pallavicini Secretary
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John Robb Homeless Guy
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Daniel Wilder Homeless Guy
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Cathy Fithian Policewoman
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Keith Stevenson Indian Grocery Clerk
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Jeff Applebaum Dean Witter Employee
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Victor Hoagland Ribbon’s Associate
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Richard Bischoff Ribbon’s Associate
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Edward Donlin Dr. Don Florio
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Larry Hunt Bucket Man
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Rose Aispuro Blood Center Clerk
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Arbin C. Kumar Check Cashing Clerk
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Jerry Edward McLilly Smiley
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Shareef Allman Prisoner
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Jeffrey Moon Pizza Dad
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Peaches Hutchinson Pizza Mom
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Brandon Deadwiler Pizza Son
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Tateanna Wheeler-Lezine Pizza Daughter
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Karen Kahn Professional Woman
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Phil Austin Stock Broker (uncredited)
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Rick Camp Bus Rider (uncredited)
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Brad Carr Dean Witter Employee (uncredited)
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Zachary Culbertson European Tourist (uncredited)
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Yeena Fisher Businesswoman (uncredited)
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Ben Fritz Dean Witter Trader (uncredited)
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Christopher Paul Gardner Passerby on street (uncredited)
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Brendan Kruse Bike Messenger (uncredited)
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Kenny Santiago Marrero Stock Broker (uncredited)
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David Pearl Stock Trader (uncredited)
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Austin Scott Homeless Youth (uncredited)
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Adam Wang Dean Witter Trader (uncredited)
Production
Development
After receiving an overwhelming national response to an interview he conducted with 20/20 in January 2003, Chris Gardner
realized that his story had potential in Hollywood. On May 23, 2006, Gardner published his autobiography, after which he became an associate producer for the movie.
The film artistically altered Gardner’s life story by condensing several years’ worth of events into a shorter time frame in order to create dramatic impact. At the end of the movie, Gardner makes a brief cameo by walking past the fictional version of himself.
Casting
Chris Gardner initially believed that Will Smith, an actor who is best known for his roles in blockbuster movies, had been cast in the wrong role. However, Gardner claimed that Jacintha, his daughter, told him, “If [Smith] can play Muhammad Ali, he can play you!” in reference to Smith’s performance in the biopic Ali.
Release
Box office
The film beat out heavily promoted films like Eragon and Charlotte’s Web to be the first at the North American box office, earning $27 million in its first weekend. It was one of Smith’s consecutive $100 million blockbusters and his sixth consecutive #1 opening.
Domestically, the film made $163,566,459 in the US and Canada. The mayor of Chattanooga arranged a screening of the film for the city’s homeless in the hope that the story of Gardner would motivate the plight-stricken residents of Chattanooga, Tennessee, to achieve financial independence and to assume greater responsibility for the well-being of their families.
Gardner felt it was necessary to tell his story because of the widespread social issues it raised. He stated, “When I talk about alcoholism in the home, domestic violence, child abuse, and all of those issues—those are universal issues; those are not just confined to ZIP codes.” He also mentioned illiteracy.
Home Media
On March 27, 2007, the movie was made available on DVD, and as of November 2007, ADCCA – RPC Region 1 DVD sales (U.S. /Canada/Bermuda) generated an additional $89,923,088 in revenue, which was slightly less than half of what it had earned in its initial week of release. There have been approximately 5,570,577 sales, bringing in $90,582,602 in revenue.
Reception
Critical Response
The Pursuit of Happiness received generally positive reviews from critics, and Will Smith’s performance was widely praised. Based on 177 reviews, the film received an overall approval rating of 67%, with an average rating of 6.40/10. “Will Smith’s heartfelt performance elevates The Pursuit of Happyness above mere melodrama,” reads the site’s critical consensus. Based on 36 reviews, Metacritic gave the movie a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, indicating “generally favorable reviews.”
“The great surprise of the picture is that it’s not corny,” wrote Mick LaSalle in the San Francisco Chronicle. The film’s authenticity is its greatest asset. It is not like the typical success story that is shown on screen, in which success comes wrapped in a ribbon and a bow after a reasonable amount of disappointment. Instead, this success story follows the most common pattern in life: it describes a series of heartbreaking defeats, missed opportunities, and certain things that didn’t quite happen, all of which are followed by a gradual accumulation of barely observable victories. To put it another way, it all seems real.”
The New York Times’ Manohla Dargis referred to the movie as “a fairy tale in realist drag” and described it as “the kind of entertainment that goes down smoothly until it gets stuck in your craw.” The American dream is told and sold with skill in the same old bootstraps tale. The filmmaking is seamless, unadorned, and transparent in order to serve Mr., which is a calculated goal.
The warm expressiveness of Smith It’s possible that your response to this man’s moving story will depend on whether or not you find Mr. “You buy the idea that success is the result of heroic labor and dreams, and that poverty is a function of bad luck and bad choices because of the performances by Smith and his son that are so overwhelmingly winning.”
Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers gave the movie three stars out of a possible four and said, “Smith is on the march toward Oscar… [His] role calls for gravitas, intelligence, charm, humor, and a genuine spirit. Smith carries it. He is the genuine deal.”
“Imbued with the kind of uplifting, afterschool-special qualities that can trigger a major toothache,” Brian Lowry wrote in Variety, “is more inspirational than creatively inspired.” It’s easy to admire Smith’s sincere performance. However, the film’s painfully sincere tone should skew its appeal to the audience that has, admittedly, helped turn many trite TV movies into hits… [It] eventually ends up looking a little like the determined salesman Mr. Gardner himself is, without a doubt, simple to root for, but not particularly entertaining to spend time with.
The Los Angeles Times’ Kevin Crust wrote, “Dramatically it lacks the layering of a Kramer vs. It has a superficial resemblance to Kramer… Despite its serious subject matter, the film lacks substance and relies on the performance of the actor. Smith is a very likable lead actor, even in a smaller role, and he makes Gardner’s situation compelling… The Pursuit of Happiness is a decent movie with great performances… There are worse ways to spend the holidays, and at the very least, it will likely teach you to be grateful for the things you have.”
The Saint “[It] is the obligatory feel-good drama of the holiday season and takes that responsibility a bit too seriously,” Steve Persall wrote in the Petersburg Times, adding, “the film lays so many obstacles and solutions before its resilient hero that the volume of sentimentality and coincidence makes it feel suspect.” The genuine performances of the two Smiths, despite the fact that neither Conrad’s script nor Muccino’s bloated direction reveals what distinguished Chris in real life from candidates with higher levels of education and previous experience, convey this.
Father Will rarely appears this mature on screen; at the end, he exhibits an amount of emotion worthy of an Oscar. Little Jaden is a typical kid from the neighborhood who seems at ease in front of the cameras. Even though Conrad never really puts their real-life bond to the test with any conflict, it is an invaluable asset to the relationship between the characters in the movie.
The film is number seven on National Review Online’s list of “The Best Conservative Movies.” “This film provides the perfect antidote to Wall Street and other Hollywood diatribes depicting the world of finance as filled with nothing but greed,” wrote Center for Equal Opportunity’s Linda Chavez.
People review (all are taken from google)
