The Pursuit of Happyness

The Pursuit of Happyness is a 2006 American autobiographical drama film based on entrepreneur Chris Gardner's nearly one-year struggle being homeless. The plot is based on a true story, yet some scenes were modified and added to the real story. Directed by Gabriele Muccino, the film features Will Smith as Gardner, a homeless salesman. Smith's son Jaden Smith co-stars, making his film debut as Gardner's son, Christopher Jr.
The screenplay by Steven Conrad is based on the best-selling memoir of the same name written by Gardner with Quincy Troupe. The film was released on December 25, 2006 by Columbia Pictures. For his performance, Smith was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Actor.
The unusual spelling of the film's title comes from a mural that Gardner sees on the wall outside the daycare facility his son attends. He complains to the owner of the daycare that "happiness" is incorrectly spelled as "happyness" and needs to be changed.
== Plot ==
In 1981, San Francisco salesman Chris Gardner invests his entire life savings in portable bone-density scanners, which he demonstrates to doctors and pitches as a handy improvement over standard X-rays. The scanners play a vital role in Chris's life. While he is able to sell most of them, the time lag between the sales and his growing financial demands enrage his already bitter and alienated wife, Linda, who works as a hotel maid. The economic instability increasingly erodes their marriage, despite caring for Christopher Jr., their soon-to-be five-year-old son.
While Chris is trying to sell one of the scanners, he meets Jay Twistle, a lead manager and partner for Dean Witter Reynolds, and impresses him by solving a Rubik's Cube during a taxi ride. After Jay leaves, Chris lacks the money to pay the fare and chooses to run instead, causing the driver to angrily chase him into a BART station. Chris boards a train but loses one of his scanners in the process. His new relationship with Jay earns him the chance to become an intern stockbroker. The day before the interview, Chris grudgingly agrees to paint his apartment to postpone being evicted due to his difficulty in paying the rent. While painting, Chris is greeted by two policemen at his doorstep, who take him to the station, stating he has to pay for the numerous parking tickets he has accumulated. As part of the sanction, Chris is ordered to spend the night in jail instead, complicating his schedule for the interview the following day. Chris arrives at Dean Witter's office on time, albeit still in his shabby clothes. Despite his appearance, he impresses the interviewers and lands a six-month unpaid internship. He would be amongst 20 interns competing for a paid position as a stockbroker.
Chris's unpaid internship does not please Linda, who eventually leaves for New York, because she might get a job at her sister's boyfriend's new restaurant. After Chris bluntly tells her that she is incapable of being a single parent, she agrees that Chris Jr. will remain with Chris. Chris is further set back when the IRS garnishes his bank account for unpaid income taxes, and he and Chris Jr. are evicted. He ends up with less than $22, resulting in them being homeless, and they are forced at one point to stay in a restroom at a BART station. Other days, he and Christopher spend nights at a homeless shelter, in BART, or, if he manages to procure sufficient cash, at a hotel. Later, Gardner finds the bone scanner that he lost in the BART station earlier and, after repairing it, sells it to a physician, thus completing all sales of his scanners.
Disadvantaged by his limited work hours and knowing that maximizing his client contacts and profits is the only way to earn the broker position, Chris develops several ways to make phone sales calls more efficiently, including reaching out to potential high-value customers and defying protocol. One sympathetic prospect, Walter Ribbon, a top-level pension fund manager, even takes Chris and his son to a San Francisco 49ers game where he befriends some of Walter's friends who are also potential clients. Regardless of his challenges, he never reveals his lowly circumstances to his colleagues, even going so far as to lend one of his bosses, Mr. Frohm, five dollars for cab fare, a sum he cannot afford. Chris also studies for and aces the stockbroker license exam.
As he concludes his last day of internship, he is summoned to a meeting with the partners. Mr. Frohm notes he is wearing a new shirt, to which Chris explains he thought it appropriate to dress for the occasion on his last day. Mr. Frohm smiles and says he should wear another one tomorrow, letting him know he has won the coveted full-time position and reimburses him for the previous cab ride. Fighting back tears, Chris shakes hands with the partners, then rushes to his son's daycare to embrace Christopher. They walk down a street, joking with each other (and are passed by the real Chris Gardner, in a business suit). The epilogue reveals that Gardner went on to form his own multimillion-dollar brokerage firm.
Pursuit of Happiness, The
Pursuit of Happiness, The
Pursuit of Happiness, The
Pursuit of Happiness, The
Pursuit of Happiness, The
Pursuit of Happiness, The