Will Smith Movie:

		List Price: $28.95		Label: Columbia Pictures Salesrank: 2241 Released: March 27, 2007
		Our Price: $10.78
		Used Price: $9.15
		MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Media: Blu-ray

Editorial Review:
Will Smith stars in the inspirational true story of Chris Gardner, a San Francisco salesman who's struggling to make ends meet. When his girlfriend Linda (Thandie Newton) walks out, Chris is left to raise their 5-year-old son 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 sleep on the street, 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.

Description of The Pursuit of Happyness [Blu-ray]:
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

Chris Gardner: "On Being Studied By Will Smith" high bandwidth

Will Smith And Jaden Smith: "On Will Always Being In Character" high bandwidth

Beyond The Pursuit of Happyness on Amazon.com

More Films Starring Will Smith

More Films About Fathers & Sons

The Book

Stills from The Pursuit of Happyness (click for larger image)

The Pursuit of Happyness [Blu-ray] Reviews:
Great Performance by will smith
2009-11-09 - This movie is full of heart. Will Smith's performance in this movie is outstanding. i love this movie and so will you. I recommend this movie to everyone. great movie

A moving Movie of true life, beating the odds
2009-11-03 - The Pursuit Of Happyness is based on a true story is a moving movie and makes the point that anything is possible.

Moving, heart wrenching and Will Smith's son in real life, playing his son in the movie does well.

One F word in this moving movie which reveals the ups and many downs of one man who who trying to find his break in life and...

There are some good scenes, the son dropping his toy, the eviction, the sleeping rough in a toilet and trying to break it in the big time financial world.

excellent movie
2009-10-26 - Excellent movie. Will Smith does an outstanding job in this movie. Recommend it all day, everyday.

Determination at its finest
2009-10-21 - This is truly a beautiful movie.

In this movie, Will Smith acts a father who put all of his energy toward his goals. He was a happy middle-class family man who invested all of his savings on a promising small business which later failed. He lost everything. His wife, however, only added to the problem. She was shallow and unsupportive. Their situation was difficult because he was a brilliant man who had a real shot at making it if only he could finish an unpaid internship at a stock firm, but in the meantime, he wouldn't be able to make a dime. His wife was a hard worker, but she didn't have much ambition. All she wanted was for him to get a weak job and keep it for the rest of his life. He wanted more though. And he took the internship.

His wife eventually left him and he kept their kid. She wanted no responsibilities.

It's truly heartbreaking how he plays with his kid and makes him believe that they are "camping" when they have to sleep in the streets. He is really a great father and his pain is transferred from the screen to your heart. This movie made me cry of sadness and joy after he finally made it.

He ended up founding his own stock firm.

Amazing that this is based on the life of someone who actually exists. I just love this type of stories.

What would you do for your child?
2009-09-19 -
In this tear jerking drama Will Smith trades in his super hero cape and takes up the role of an average Joe. No saving the world this time, instead his fight is to give his son a better life. After what seems like a lifetime of misfortune and bad luck Chris Gardner (Smith) is left alone to raise his son (Jaden Smith). The only problem is he barely has enough money to keep a house over their heads. The only glimmer of hope they have left is an internship at Dean Witter a stockbroker company. This may turn out to be the job of a lifetime, but with every glimmer there is always an obstacle course that guards its way. Of course this case is no different, not only is Chris up against nineteen other well educated candidates who have plenty more experience, but the internship doesn't pay a cent. Chris finds himself questioning whether or not this risk is worth taking and we find ourselves hoping with heavy hearts and watery eyes that it is.

The Pursuit of Happiness is jam packed with hard-hitting emotion. Good luck getting through this one without shedding a tear. With a story that hits so close to home for so many of us, it can be almost painful to watch. Many of us on some level know the struggle that Smith's character faces, we know all about that horrible feeling of helplessness we feel when assuring your child that "everything will be ok" when you yourself are not so sure. The train station scene is a perfect example of how this movie taps into our emotions, and leaves us feeling completely vulnerable.


Smith incredible in this film, proving to us once again that he deserves his place as one of our most loved actors, but it his son Jaden Smith (who plays Christopher) who shows us that acting definitely runs in the family. He is quickly following in his father's footsteps. Even at a young age he has flawlessly portrayed his role (and he is just so adorable!).

The Pursuit of Happiness gives us all hope; it gives us something to dream for, and something to strive for. It is a great story with amazing acting and a great message. It is completely clean (no swearing, alcohol/drug use, violence or nudity) and it's easy to follow making it a perfect choice for a family movie night or a relaxing evening on the couch.