The story of Chris Gardner, a father who tried to protect his child from poverty, is the inspiration for ‘The Pursuit of Happyness.’ The opening scene features the phrase “Pursuit of Happiness” as it was written by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence. This states that Americans have the right to ‘Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Chris Gardner considers the pursuit of happiness, which is a fundamental principle of the Declaration of Independence, where all people are equal. He sees the difficulty in pursuing happiness.
Chris Gardner was the only person to tell his story. He describes his life on the bus, his family, his internships, and his happiness. This chapter is about Gardner’s pursuit of happiness. The film shows the series of difficulties that he faced during that terrible time in his life. His life was filled of difficulties. He lost his job, lost his wife and was left homeless. He also had to take part in an unpaid training program which would leave him with no future. The happy part of his story is the closing chapter. He finally received a job offer to be a stockbroker, and built his own firm that earned thousands of thousands of dollar. Will Smith gave an outstanding performance in “The Pursuit of Happiness”. Will Smith’s acting skills in this movie were beyond his usual action movies. He perfectly portrayed the character of Chris Gardner. A troubled, downman who was going through the most difficult times in his life. The acting is so realistic that the audience can see the true Gardner. Gardner, who is so broke that he cannot afford to feed his family, waits outside a shelter for help. Smith’s son Jaden Smith, who played the role as Gardner’s youngest son Christopher, is the only other person that amazes the audience. Gabriele Muccino chose Will Smith’s own son Jaden Smith to portray the role of the protagonist’s child. It was because the father-son relationship is so well portrayed by the duo. Gardner relied on Christopher for strength and perseverance through all his hardships. Jaden Smith and Jaden both delivered great performances. The motion pictures of ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’ are excellent. The director’s vision was realized by the filmmaker using light and photographs. The film uses close-ups to show the actors’ facial expressions throughout. For example, Gardner would lock his son in a public place for the night and the child would rest peacefully on his father’s lap. The movie uses depressing music as a background sound to encourage empathy. The setting is contrasted by the gentle lighting. In the movie, the word ‘happyness’ is spelled in a strange way. This could have hidden meanings. I believe the ‘y” in the phrase means that happiness must be sought out and not just achieved. The film’s plot is split. One part focuses on the battle phase and the other one is focused on the happiness portion. The film’s main content is the pursuit of happiness. The film’s main theme can be seen in the title, which is intentionally misspelled, and the movie opening with “Pursuit of Happiness”, which Thomas Jefferson used in the Declaration of Independence.
