The Pursuit of Happyness

by Greg Luther

If there's been one sure thing in Hollywood over the past decade, it's that casting Will Smith equals big bucks. The man has proven to be a box office hit in action, science fiction, comedy, and sports movies. But can even the formidable Mr. Smith excite audiences with a film about a middle-aged father attempting to become a stockbroker? Last weekend's box office returns seem to suggest he did, and the spotless record remains intact. So how's the film, you ask? It's actually a charming (if somewhat slight) character piece that showcases a new side of its A-list star.

The Pursuit of Happyness tells the true story of Chris Gardner, a father of one trying to scrape by, selling bone density scanners in San Francisco in 1981. I can hear a lot of you out there wondering aloud what you would need a bone density scanner for. Turns out that most of the doctors he tried to sell them to didn't know either. Needless to say, the job is not going well for Chris, and neither is his marriage. On the way to a sales pitch one day, Chris happens by the Dean Witter Brokerage Firm, and is enthralled by the smiling faces of the professionals entering and exiting the firm. He's certainly envious of their clothes and cars, but more than that, it's their happiness (real or perceived) that he craves. Subsequently a journey is begun to pursue a new career as a stockbroker. However the quest takes its toll, finishing off his ailing marriage and putting a huge hit on his financial situation. At the center of all of this is Chris' son, Christopher who along with his ever-present Mego Captain America figure must weather all the same bumps in the road his father's undertaking throws out.

There's certainly a lot of compelling and relatable material in the film. One can easily empathize with Chris' desire for a more satisfying life, while at the same time understanding how difficult that can be when it seems to be at odds with providing for your child. It's funny how universal a lot of the aspects of Chris' story are actually. I'm in a very different point in my life than where Chris is during the film, but I can appreciate completely how daunting it is beginning a career in a field where it seems like there is so much stacked against you. When he first turns in his application, there are 3 lines given for education, which is considerably more than he needs. I know all about getting an application and being terrified by all the blank space left on it. His actual interview is even more cringe-inducing, when fate conspires to put him there wearing ragged work clothes splashed with paint. As a guy who usually ties his tie 3 times and obsessively picks at every piece of lint on his suit before an interview, watching Chris walk into the Dean Witter office dressed like that represents an absolute nightmare for me. Amazingly enough Chris perseveres and manages to come out looking like a million bucks in this situation that would have left me sobbing like a little girl. This determination is the quality that really sticks with you about Chris. There is a scene in the trailer that annoyed me every time I saw it, where Chris solves a Rubik's Cube and impresses an executive at the company. It seems like the shortcut every film uses to demonstrate that someone is smart is showing them solving a Rubik's Cube, and frankly I'm starting to think the word "cliché" is a little too kind at this point. That's actually not what they had in mind here though. Chris discovers the cube early in the film and begins obsessively playing with it. Later on when it pops up again, he's got the thing practically down to a science. It's that endless perseverance that sums up Chris Gardner. I must say though, it's a good thing he's so unwavering, because this guy has to have the worst luck of any character I've seen in a movie in quite a while. The way that certain chance occurrences seem to coincide is almost too much to handle sometimes. I realize this is a true story, so I'll give the film the benefit of the doubt and assume that most of what we see actually did happen (Truth is stranger than fiction as they say), but geez, he must have ticked off some deity somewhere.

Will Smith brings Chris Gardner to life in a refreshingly understated performance (Yes, I used "Will Smith" and "understated" in the same sentence). There is a scene in which Chris realizes that he does not have enough money to pay a cab fare, where you can see the shame wash over his face only to be replaced with sheer panic when he realizes he's left his bone density scanner in the cab after running out. Another scene which takes place in a train station after Chris and Christopher are kicked out of their hotel room goes from heartwarming to heartbreaking to terrifying in the span of about a minute, all on the back of Smith. It would be easy to play this material for the cheap seats and the people who pick clips to play in between Oscar nominations, but thankfully that sort of histrionics is mostly forgone here.

The misspelling of "happiness" in the movie's title catches a lot of eyes (For those still wondering, it refers to a sign hanging in front of the day-care center where Chris takes his son.), but it's the "pursuit" that really defines the film. Chris quotes the Declaration of Independence and ponders if Thomas Jefferson slipped "the pursuit of" in there because happiness is something that can't actually be grasped. While I can't tell you if Chris Gardner truly found happiness after he achieved his goal, the scene where he "makes it" has to be one of the most uplifting things I've seen at the theaters this year. You may see it coming from a mile away, but it still manages to tug at your heartstrings. This may not be a film you find yourself returning to much over the years, but it's certainly a nice little way to spend an afternoon over the holidays.