The Pursuit of Happyness – a Review

The Pursuit of Happyness is a film about one man’s struggle through life. Chris Gardner, played by Will Smith here, is a family man desperately trying to make ends meet by selling a medical exam machine he thought would bring him a fortune but turns out to be a commercial disaster. In the process, his wife decides she’s finally had enough and leaves him with the custody of their son (played by Smith’s son, Jaden). With a strong will to turn things round and some luck, he gets a chance to be an intern with a stockbroker’s and fights through all kinds of hardships and in the end gets hired and ultimately founds his own trading company.

The small man’s struggle through life has been a constant theme in Hollywood films in recent years, yet people around the world still flock into cinemas to enjoy a couple of hours of heart wrench and empathetic tear jerking for it is in these films that they find their own image and voice and it is in seeing the film characters finally make it that they find the strength to carry on with their own struggles.

Another theme that runs through the film is about keeping alive your dreams in the face of adversity and discouragements. Just as Chris says to his son in the film, “don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do something. They couldn’t do it themselves and now they go around telling people they can’t do it either. If you’ve got a dream, stick with it and do everything you can to realise it and that’s how a man stands out from the rest of the crowd”.(neat)

These above are all nice messages and it wouldn’t hurt anyone to sit through a film that encourages you to do something with your life but if one scratches just a little harder and sees through the surface, the film fails in more ways than one.

First of all, the director Gabriele Muccino seems to think that happiness lies in the possession of wealth for it seems in the film that the only way for Chris Gardner to be happy is to get rich. There are scenes in the film where Gardner and his son are enjoying a father-and-son moment together with simple activities like playing basketball or just imagining going back to pre-historical times and seeing dinosaurs; however, these are shown to represent the kind of hard life they have to endure rather than moments of happiness, which is both a shame and perhaps a dangerous message to especially younger audiences. If this film shows the director’s real opinion on happiness then I suggest that he walk out of his Beverly Hill mansion every once in a while and see for himself how ordinary people really live their lives.

Another near failure about the film is that it simply doesn’t do the real Chris Gardner’s life justice. It fails to communicate to the audience what life’s really like for a black man with a child living in San Francisco struggling to survive. A row with a fellow homeless person over the last room available at a charity centre is a far cry from the real dangers of living in the streets with a child on your shoulders and two jobs to do. It’s a shame that a story with so much potential to be a classic ended up being dealt with in such an irresponsible manner.

If the film could be said not to have been a complete failure, it would have been saved by great performances from the father-son duo of Will and Jaden Smith. Will Smith carried his role with such skills, conviction and power that he was nominated for best actor of the year by more than ten film festivals or organizations including an Oscar. His performance in this film has been widely considered by critics to be the best in his career. If he keeps up this inspired form and with the right choice of projects, that he’ll win an Oscar for best actor will only be a matter of time.

Will’s son Jaden is another thing that lights up the screen with his childish chirpings and well-delivered lines and a few jokes although corny but told in such a cute way that you’d think they’re the funniest jokes anyone’s ever told in a film.

“Q: Knock! Knock!

A: Who’s there?

Q: Nobody.

A: Nobody who?

Q: ….

A: Nobody who?

Q: …. ”

All in all, The Pursuit of Happyness is a good family film that appeals to a wide audience who are looking to spend some after-dinner time with their families but for film critics or collectors it’s one that can be passed on without any fear of missing anything. Categorise yourself honestly and take action accordingly now!

An afterthought:

The film was made in 2006 when, I guess, working for a stock-trading company was still seen as one of the most tempting options for people. I’m not sure the film would have nearly as much appeal if it came out today, with the mess created by the very same kind of people as the one the film portrays still yet to be completely cleaned up. If ever there was a sequel to the Pursuit of Happyness, it would be about how Chris Gardner back on the streets trying to make it again, but with a major black mark on his CV!