Had we seen an intimate glimpse into the professional side of Gardner's journey, this likeable but unexceptional fable could have been so much more.
Comment
12/14/06
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
66
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
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... [More]
Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Dan Castellaneta, Thandie Newton
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Reviews for The Pursuit of Happyness
The role needs gravity, smarts, charm, humor and a soul that's not synthetic. Smith brings it. He's the real deal.
12/14/06
Thankfully, humor leavens the dark journey, and little Jaden and his jokes go a long way to warm our hearts.
12/14/06
Smith is resourceful in the role, though the story stretches one's credulity about his character's resourcefulness.
12/14/06
The Pursuit of Happyness goes beyond tugging at our heartstrings. It plucks them, strokes them, strums them, plays them for all they're worth. That's both the strength and the weakness of this inspirational drama.
12/14/06
Heartwarming at times, heartbreaking at others, you could do far worse this season than this touching tale.
12/14/06
Smith hasn't delivered this kind of earnest, emotionally raw performance since Ali, and his Chris Gardner is every bit as complex.
12/14/06
It's a solid vehicle for Smith, tailored to his personality and strengths as a star, and fueled by his utter conviction.
12/14/06
A fairy tale in realist drag, The Pursuit of Happyness is the kind of entertainment that goes down smoothly until it gets stuck in your craw.
12/14/06
Top CriticThe Pursuit of Happyness is the biography of a real guy named Christopher Gardner, whom Will Smith, charming and bright, embodies to the fingertips.
12/14/06
It's almost impossible to watch this movie and not, on some level beyond reason, succumb. The Pursuit of Happyness is an expert piece of calculation: a male weepie engineered for the whole family.
12/14/06
Sad, sappy and rarely believable, it's a tedious tearjerker.
12/14/06
[An] honorable but dogged effort.
12/14/06
Winter's coming in hard, but this season's leading cause of the sniffles is going to be The Pursuit of Happyness, a viral blast of the American Dream. It's Rocky with a briefcase.
12/14/06
If you’ve seen the schlocky trailer for The Pursuit of Happyness, you’ve seen a better version of the actual film.
12/14/06
A moving and heartfelt character-based drama with an unsentimental tone that makes the machinations of the plot all the more urgent and effective.
12/14/06
The most touching drama of this not-very-touching holiday movie season.
12/14/06
Smith is terrific and moving in this film. The film itself is more conventional. Yet it's better-crafted and less obviously ruthless in the pathos department than you'd expect.
12/14/06
This optimistic, rags-to-riches, father/son relationship story becomes a heartwarming, inspirational holiday fable.
12/14/06
Only a total Scrooge wouldn't feel good at the end of the movie, but The Pursuit of Happyness merely trudges through a lot of downs on its way to the big, rewarding finale.
12/14/06
Latest News for The Pursuit of Happyness
January 16, 2009:
UK Critics Consensus: The Wrestler Pile-drives The Critics, But Don’t Waste any £s on Seven Pounds
With critical success for Slumdog Millionaire last week (94%), we have more award-friendly fare in the UK cinemas this Friday in Darren Aronofsky's spandex-tastic The Wrestler.... More...
March 04, 2008:
Rush Hour 3 Takes '07 DVD Rental Crown
It may not have been quite the box-office phenomenon that its predecessors were -- and critics may have disliked it enough to keep it down at 20 percent on the Tomatometer --... More...
January 16, 2008:
The Day the Earth Stood Still Adds Jaden Smith
His participation in a new Karate Kid is still only the stuff of rumors, but Jaden Smith has officially joined the cast of another remake. More...
January 10, 2008:
Box Office Guru Preview: Captain Jack and Captain Morgan Set Sail
For the first time in three weeks, studios will pack a Friday with plenty of new releases as four films open or expand nationwide giving the box office chart a major shakeup.... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube 
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds