The Pursuit Of
Happyness
Movie Plot
Chris Gardner (Will Smith) is a struggling salesman. After failing
to make ends meet, Gardner finds himself and his son evicted from
their San Francisco apartment with nowhere to go. When he works as
an intern at a prestigious stock brokerage firm, he and his son
encounter many difficulties. Despite his troubles, Chris continues
to honour his commitment as a loving and caring father, using the
affection and trust his son has placed in him as an impetus to
overcome the problems he faces.
Synopsis
Have you ever had a day when your wallet is close to empty and you
need money ever so badly? That very frustrating feeling is what
haunts businessman Chris Gardner (Will Smith) day to day as he goes
around trying to sell bone density scanners. Serving little
importance, these scanners prove very difficult for Chris to sell
and with numerous parking tickets together with outstanding rent
and tax returns, Chris is pretty much in bad shape at the end of
each day. Unable to cope with the financial strain, his wife Linda
(Thandie Newton) leaves home.
Undeterred by this, Chris, now a single father to 5-year-old
Christopher (Jaden Smith), explores the possibility of becoming a
stockbroker. Little did he know that the internship programme
offered didn't involve any salary for a month! Having no cash in
hand, and the only money earned by his sales seized by the
government for his tax, Chris and Christopher end up in the
streets. This proves to be a challenging time for them as they go
to the extent of spending nights in shelters and even a man's
restroom. Through it all, Chris channels everything into mastering
his skills for stockbroking, relying on the trust that his young
son has in him.
Chris Gardner finds himself attending the interview clad with paint
smeared clothes and body after a day in jail, meeting in an
accident and turning up for work with just one shoe and having to
hand his last five dollars to an executive in the company. In tears
and close to break down in various instances, we see him standing
out amidst the rest as he works his way into the company.
Based on a true story, this movie has a very down-to-earth
perspective highlighting that even in today's modern society, there
are many homeless people roaming the streets due to the choices
made in their lives. Will Smith plays the perfect role depicting
one with such strong determination and we are reminded several
times during the movie that the declaration of Independence itself
states that we have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness.
"Don't ever let somebody tell you you can't do something ... You
got a dream, you gotta protect it ..." Thus as Chris Gardner
reminds his son, the film is an awakening to each one of us that we
indeed do have the choice to chase the source of happiness in our
lives. His sincere love for his son portrayed in this film along
with all the tribulations he faced is moving indeed and if you're
one who could do with a boost of inspiration, then go watch this
film.
Oh, and if you haven't already questioned why its 'happyness' and
not 'happiness' then its even more reason to watch and find
out!
