We may wonder if happiness can be bought this way, and whether the film being sold to us isn't a slightly suspect package, but Smith, sublime and moving, sells it regardless.
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:165
Fresh:109
Rotten:56
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: Will Smith’s heartfelt performance elevates The Pursuit of Happyness above mere melodrama.
Theatrical Release:12-01-2007
Synopsis: In The Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner (Will Smith) is a family man struggling to make ends meet. Despite his valiant attempts to help keep the family afloat, the mother (Thandie Newton) of his... In The Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner (Will Smith) is a family man struggling to make ends meet. Despite his valiant attempts to help keep the family afloat, the mother (Thandie Newton) of his five-year-old son Christopher (Jaden Christopher Syre Smith) is buckling under the constant strain of financial pressure. No longer able to cope, she reluctantly decides to leave. Chris, now a single father, continues doggedly to pursue a better-paying job using every sales skill he knows. He lands an internship at a prestigious stock brokerage firm, and although there is no salary, he accepts, hopeful he will end the program with a job and a promising future. Without a financial cushion, Chris and his son are soon evicted from their apartment and forced to sleep in shelters, bus stations, bathrooms, or wherever they can find refuge for the night. Despite his troubles, Chris continues to honor 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 obstacles he faces. Columbia Pictures presents in association with Relativity Media an Overbrook Entertainment/Escape Artists Production The Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith, Thandie Newton and introducing Jaden Christopher Syre Smith. The film is directed by Gabriele Muccino and written by Steven Conrad. The producers are Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, James Lassiter and Will Smith. The executive producers are Louis D’Esposito, Mark Clayman, David Alper and Teddy Zee. The director of photography is Phedon Papamichael, ASC. The production designer is J. Michael Riva. The film editor is Hughes Winborne, A.C.E. The costume designer is Sharen Davis. The music is by Andrea Guerra. The Pursuit of Happyness has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for Some Language. The Pursuit of Happyness will be released by Columbia Pictures on December 15, 2006. -- © Columbia Pictures [More]
Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Dan Castellaneta, Thandie Newton
Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Dan Castellaneta, Thandie Newton, Brian Howe
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Screenwriter: Steve Conrad
Producer: Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, James Lassiter
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Reviews for The Pursuit of Happyness
Bonding convincingly (as you might expect) with his own son on screen, Smith delivers his most compelling performance since Ali.
Deserves kudos for avoiding saccharine sentiment, but its relentless emphasis on money as the cure for all ills is depressing. They might as well have called it The Pursuit of Richyness.
Plays like an unravelling of the Eighties comedy hit Trading Places. Instead of a smart-Alec street hustler who turns the tables on his seemingly benign patrons, we have a smart saint who simply wants to join the club.
It’s not about happiness. It’s about money. The film boasts of how many millions Gardner makes. Is he happy? You bet. It’s like being forced to watch self-help videos, while Mr Motivator molests you.
One can detect almost the spirit of a public information film nagging the audience: look, people, the American Dream doesn't come for free.
The on-screen chemistry between father and son is a winning formula – lifting the film from just another tear-jerker into a heartfelt and compelling slice of cinema.
May have a slight TV movie vibe to it, but Gardner’s story is so stirring and so incredible that it really doesn’t matter.
Smith hits all the right notes – understated, engaging, inspirational – even if his young son threatens to charm him off the screen.
With a terrific central performance by Will Smith, this is a well made, sharply written and ultimately uplifting drama, but it really piles on the misery before you get there.
An admirably unsentimental biopic with an excellent central performance, but it doesn’t impact as strongly as it could.
A true story told in a deeply heartwarming style: there's never any doubt where this film is going.
Even the most superficially glossy of surfaces can't completely extinguish the genuine emotions running beneath them here.
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