Movie Review: Pursuit of Happyness

Pursuit of Happyness is an American biographical drama film that was directed by Gabriele Muccino. This movie was released in 2006, and it’s based on the true story of Chris Gardener’s life (Will Smith) who was struggling with homelessness while raising his five-year-old son, Christopher Gardener (Jaden Smith). Chris used to invest all his money in bone density scanners, and he sold them to support his family’s necessities. But, those devices don’t sell well lately, which makes his financial situation worse. Therefore, he lived a difficult life as he lost his apartment, left by his wife, and also his only friend. However, these problems become a motivation instead of making him down, because his only goal is to make good money in making a better life for his beloved son, Christopher. As he doesn’t have a place to stay,  he lives in the shelters with his son. He also tries to apply for a job, but he gets rejected because of his background.  But despite the difficulties he faces, he still smiles and looks fine in front of the people around him. And one day, he meets a successful man named Bob Bridges who gives the recommendation to try an internship at a stock brokerage firm. Then, Chris decides to join the training program. A lot of people joined this program, and many of them unappreciated Chris’s work. But, it doesn’t weaken his confidence, and he keeps giving his best on his unpaid internship. And finally, it has a happy ending. He manages to pursue his happiness which begins with his career as a stockbroker at Dean Witter.

There are many sad and emotional scenes between the father and son in this movie. I really like this movie because it’s got morals. It is a must-watch inspirational drama movie that is suitable to watch for all ages, especially for those who need life lessons:  It tells how Chris pursued happiness in his own way by using his son and the people he met as the motivation, which makes him never give up even though there are failures and people unappreciated him. To become successful, I’ve learned that we should overcome the difficulties however the result is. In our life, we might get unexpected things. Therefore, we should accept reality and believe in ourselves that we can solve problems.

Gabby Helnawan – Grade 12