Product Description
-------------------
Will Smith stars in this moving tale inspired by the true story
of Chris Gardner, a San Francisco salesman struggling to build a
future for himself and his 5-year-old son Christopher (Jaden
Smith). When his girlfriend Linda (Thandie Newton) walks out,
Chris is left to raise Christopher (Jaden Smith) on his own.
Chris' determination finally pays off when he lands an unpaid
internship in a brutally competitive stockbroker-training
program, where only one in twenty interns will make the cut. But
without a salary, Chris and his son are evicted from their
apartment and are forced to on the streets, in homeless
shelters and even behind the locked doors of a metro station
bathroom. With self-confidence and the love and trust of his son,
Chris Gardner rises above his obstacles to become a Wall Street
legend.
.com
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A heartwarming film that demonstrates how good, hard-working
people can become homeless almost overnight, Pursuit of Happyness
is a tour-de-force showcase for Will Smith, who convincingly
portrays a down-and-out dad trying to better his family's life.
Smith, who usually is cast in effortlessly boyish roles (Men in
Black, Independence Day), is wonderful in the film--even in the
scenes that shamelessly tug at viewers' heartstrings. Based on
the true-life story of Chris Gardner, a San Francisco salesman
forced at times to shelter his young son (played by Smith's
adorable look-alike offspring Jaden Smith) in a men's room, there
is little suspense to the film in terms of Chris' outcome. (His
story and eventual success a successful and wealthy Chicago
businessman was well-publicized on the newsmagazine show 20/20.)
And let's face it, Hollywood's not too keen on making feel-good
movies with unhappy endings. The beauty (and suspense, to a
certain extent) of this film is in the way the story is told.
Though he is constantly rushing around to get to appointments and
pick up his child, things do not happen quickly for Chris. When
he accepts an internship with a prestigious stock brokerage firm,
there's a catch: The position is unpaid, suitable more for
trust-fund children than single parents with no other source of
income. In many scenes, the viewer panics along with Chris,
wondering how he's going to feed his child. While Smith and his
son, Jaden, share many tender moments together, Thandie Newton
has the thankless role of playing Chris' shrill wife, who deserts
her family early in the film. It's not a particularly challenging
part for the talented actress, and her departure doesn't impact
the storyline much at all. As for the movie's misspelled title,
it's inspired from a scene in the film. (Seeing a mural drawn by
the children at a daycare center, Chris points out to the
proprietor that "happiness" is spelled incorrectly. She notes
that it doesn't matter how the word is written--just that the
kids have it.) With Pursuit of Happyness, Smith has come out of
his safety zone and, in turn, ends up playing his most heroic
role to date. --Jae-Ha Kim
Extras from The Pursuit of Happyness
Behind the scenes footage of
The Pursuit of Happyness
high bandwidth
( http://64.70.2.111/public/1f1f3a75-0f01-0000-0080-8defbccdb07b.PURSUITO_brll_hi.mov )
Chris Gardner:
"On Being Studied By Will Smith"
high bandwidth
( http://64.70.2.111/public/e37c8a77-0f01-0000-0080-d5e05c288784.PURSUITO_sb06_CG01_hi.mov )
Will Smith And Jaden Smith:
"On Will Always Being In Character"
high bandwidth
( http://64.70.2.111/public/515d8277-0f01-0000-0080-d5e05c288784.PURSUITO_sb03_WJ01_hi.mov )
Beyond The Pursuit of Happyness on .com
More Films Starring Will Smith (
/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/447238/ref=d_ap_pofhappy_4 )
More Films About hers & Sons (
/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/740144/ref=d_ap_pofhappy_5 )
The Book
( /exec/obidos/ASIN/0060744871/ref=d_ap_pofhappy_6 )
Stills from The Pursuit of Happyness (click for larger image)
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