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Movie Review | 'The Pursuit of Happyness'

Climbing Out of the Gutter With a 5-Year-Old in Tow

By Manohla Dargis

• Dec. 15, 2006

A fairy tale in realist drag, “The Pursuit of Happyness” is the kind of entertainment that goes down smoothly until it gets stuck in your craw. Inspired by a true story, as they like to say in Hollywood, the film traces the fleeting ups and frightening downs of Chris Gardner, whose efforts to keep his family from sinking into poverty evolve into a life-and-death struggle of social Darwinian proportions. It’s the early 1980s, and while Ronald Reagan is delivering the bad economic news on television, Chris is about to prove you don’t need an army to fight the war on poverty, just big smiles and smarts, and really sturdy shoes. (It also helps that the star playing him is as innately sympathetic as Will Smith.)

Given how often Chris breaks into a run on the streets of San Francisco, it’s a good thing his shoes are well built; his lungs, too. Written by Steven Conrad and directed by Gabriele Muccino, “The Pursuit of Happyness” recounts how Chris, plagued by some bad luck, a few stupid moves and a shrew for a wife, Linda (Thandie Newton), loses his apartment and, with his 5-year-old, Christopher (Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, Mr. Smith’s own beautiful son), joins the ranks of the homeless, if not the hopeless. Evicted from the mainstream and bounced from shelter to shelter, Chris holds firm to his dignity, resolve, faith, love and independence. His optimism sweeps through the film like a searchlight, scattering clouds and dark thoughts to the wind.

It’s the same old bootstraps story, an American dream artfully told, skillfully sold. To that calculated end, the filmmaking is seamless, unadorned, transparent, the better to serve Mr. Smith’s warm expressiveness. That warmth feels truthful, as does the walk-up apartment Chris’s family lives in at the start of the film, which looks like the real paycheck-to-paycheck deal. As does the day care center, which is so crummy it can’t even get happiness right (hence the title).

This is no small thing, considering the film industry’s usual skewed sense of economic class, a perspective encapsulated by the insider who described the middle-class family in “Little Miss Sunshine” to me as working class, perhaps because the mother drives a gently distressed Miata rather than next year’s Mercedes.

Money matters in “The Pursuit of Happyness,” as it does in life. But it matters more openly in this film than it does in most Hollywood stories that set their sights on the poor, largely because Chris’s pursuit of happiness eventually becomes interchangeable with his pursuit of money. He doesn’t want just a better, more secure life for himself and his child; either by scripted design or by the example of the real Chris Gardner, he seems to yearn for a life of luxury, stadium box seats and the kind of sports car he stops to admire in one scene. His desires aren’t just upwardly mobile; they’re materialistically unbound. Instead of a nice starter home, he (and the filmmakers) ogles mansions. It’s no wonder he hopes to become a stockbroker.

That may sound like a punch line, at least to some ears, but it’s the holy grail in “The Pursuit of Happyness.” A self-starter, Chris has sunk all of the family’s money into costly medical scanners that he tries to sell to doctors and hospitals. But the machines are overpriced, and the sure thing he banked on has landed them in debt. Forced to work two shifts at a dead-end job, Linda angrily smolders and then rages at Chris, which seems reasonable since he has gambled all of their savings on an exceptionally foolish enterprise. (And, unlike her, he hasn’t signed up for overtime.) But this is a film about father love, not mother love, and Linda soon leaves the picture in a cloud of cigarette smoke and a storm of tears.

Chris and the filmmakers seem happy to see her go, but life only gets tougher once she and her paychecks disappear. Much of the film involves Chris’s subsequent efforts to keep himself and his child housed and fed while he is enrolled in an unpaid internship program at a powerful stock brokerage firm. Bright and ferociously determined, Chris easily slides into this fantastical world of shouting men, ringing phones, gleaming surfaces and benevolent bosses. He goes along to get along, and when one of his bosses asks for money to pay for a cab, he quickly opens his wallet. Chris himself stiffs another working man for some money because that wallet is so light. But this is a film about him, not the other guy.

How you respond to this man’s moving story may depend on whether you find Mr. Smith’s and his son’s performances so overwhelmingly winning that you buy the idea that poverty is a function of bad luck and bad choices, and success the result of heroic toil and dreams. Both performances are certainly likable in the extreme, though Mr. Smith shined brighter and was given much more to do when he played the title character in Michael Mann’s underrated “Ali.” That film proves an interesting comparison with this one, not in filmmaking terms, but in its vision of what it means to be a black man struggling in America. In one, a black man fights his way to the top with his fists; in the other, he gets there with a smile.

“The Pursuit of Happyness” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). It includes mild adult language and some parental fighting.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS

Opens today nationwide.

Directed by Gabriele Muccino; written by Steven Conrad; director of photography, Phedon Papamichael; edited by Hughes Winborne; music by Andrea Guerra; production designer, J. Michael Riva; produced by Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch James Lassiter and Will Smith; released by Columbia Pictures. Running time: 117 minutes.

WITH: Will Smith (Chris Gardner), Thandie Newton (Linda) and Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (Christopher).

The Pursuit of Happyness Ending, Explained

Directed by Gabriele Muccino, ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ is a poignant story about the plight and resilience of an African-American single dad chasing after happiness against all odds, with a “40-pound gizmo,” if you will. A seemingly standard Hollywood tale of rags to riches, this deceptively straightforward film conceals more than what is apparent on the surface. With a career highlight performance from Will Smith as Christopher Gardner, the narrative remains adequately layered and free from mawkish sentimentality. A genuinely moving story of a father and a son, it is also a stark depiction of the racial segregation apparent in the urban America of the 80s. Let us now walk the trails of thought that the film leaves unexplored. SPOILERS AHEAD.

The Pursuit of Happyness Plot Synopsis

In the first scene, we meet Christopher Gardner (Will Smith) and his son Christopher Gardner Junior (Jaden Christopher Syre Smith) walking down the avenue of downtown San Francisco. Father Chris is in his cheap salesman suit and baby Christopher is in his kindergarten dress. The father holds what seems to be a heavy piece of machinery, and after an episode of confusion, where a homeless person is led to believe that the machine is a time machine, the audience gets to know that it’s actually a “portable bone-density scanner”, which is the father’s trade. The camera then follows the protagonist as we see glimpses of his failing family life. His wife, Linda (Thandie Newton), is bitter and unhappy about their economic adversity while the loving husband and father spends another day trying to sell one of these machines.

On one of his burdensome sales trips, he stumbles upon a man pulling up in an expensive Ferrari on the side of the road. Upon inquiring about the man’s good fortune, Chris gets to know about the stockbroking business. When Chris proposes this newfound job prospect to his wife, he is met with contempt rather than encouragement. Keeping his faith, he enrolls himself for an internship program with the brokerage firm, Dean Witter Reynolds, and lands a job there by the end of the film.

Rough patches come his way – his wife leaves him, and he is thrown out of his apartment and then a motel due to failure to pay the rent. The father-son duo is forced to spend nights in homeless shelters, churches, and even in a subway bathroom – but these issues are never really enough to demotivate our larger-than-life protagonist. Although the audience gets to know the success story of the protagonist from the title cards, there remain some lingering questions that are not explicitly answered in the film.

The Pursuit of Happyness Ending: Is Being Happy Only About Being Rich?

Well, Chris gets the job in the end, along with the five dollars that he previously lent to Mr. Frohm. A quintessential story of rags-to-riches , at times it may feel like another Hollywood depiction of America as a neoliberal utopia where happiness equates to money. A closer inspection of the film, however, will reveal much more. We are reminded that happiness is also one of the unalienable rights endowed to an American citizen in the Declaration of Independence.

The film is firstly about finding the silver lining in testing times, and we laugh and cry with the characters as they remain poised, diligent, and nuanced till the end, never reaching the height of melodrama. Towards the end of the film, Chris takes his son to the Crissy Field beach to spend an afternoon together “far away from anything.” We feel the calm even though Chris admits to the constant pressure of disappointment that his mind harbors. The suggestion is that these moments, and not the countless handshakes, are what make happiness worth pursuing. In these moments, the film leaves its apparent Hollywood garb to embrace an Italian neorealist lens that one would expect from a Frank Capra or Vittorio De Sica film.

What does Chris’ Machine Signify?

While the burden of the protagonist is due to dire circumstances, symbolically represented by the machine that Chris has to carry around, it is also a burden of the volatile history of a nation that has managed to systematically segregate racial minorities through centuries of oppression. This is evident as the happy characters seen in the film are mostly middle-aged rich white males with sports cars. The people of color, on the other hand, are portrayed to be frustrated, crushed, and broken under a normalizing mechanism of racial discrimination, except an effortlessly charming Will Smith, of course.

While the film never tries to explicitly overcompensate for the plight of the protagonist, the director uses rapid camera movements and well-thought color palettes to bring the racial conflict to the fore. In the whitewashed office of Dean Witter Reynolds, we never encounter another African-American person besides Chris. Also, in one instance at a later point in the film, the panning camera follows a group of white people in a sports car before focusing on the queue of African-Americans in front of the night shelter to portray the stark inequality prevalent in the American society of the Reagan-era.

Who is the Man that Walks Past Chris in the Last Scene?

In the very last scene of the film, the audience sees a seemingly wealthy African-American man walking past Chris, who looks back at the man as the sunlight falls on his face. This could well be a silent gesture of acknowledgment between two African-Americans who have made it in a white-dominated America, and it structurally becomes more prominent against an all-white skyline of the city of San Francisco. However, upon further inspection, the unsuspecting audience will find that the man in the last scene is the actual Chris Gardner, the stockbroker and entrepreneur upon whose life the film is based.

Read More:  Where Are Chris Gardner and His Son Now?

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The Pursuit of Happyness

Content caution.

In Theaters

• Will Smith as Chris Gardner; Jaden Christopher Syre Smith as Christopher; Thandie Newton as Linda; Brian Howe as Jay Twistle; Dan Castellaneta as Alan Frakesh; Kurt Fuller as Walter Ribbon

Home Release Date

• Gabriele Muccino

Distributor

• Sony Pictures

Movie Review

“I met my father for the first time when I was 28 years old. When I had children, my children were going to know who their father was.” So vows Chris Gardner, an earnest salesman and father desperately struggling to make ends meet on the hard streets of San Francisco in the early 1980s. But his chosen vocation, peddling expensive bone-density scanners that most physicians don’t want, has left him and those he loves hovering on the brink of disaster.

Day after unsuccessful day, Chris comes home to his dispirited girlfriend, Linda, and their 5-year-old son, Christopher. Linda pulls double shifts to stay within striking distance of solvency, all the while chastising Chris for his failure to provide. Predictably, she doesn’t think much of his latest brainstorm: securing an internship at the stock brokerage firm Dean Witter. Linda’s bitterness and negativity may wear on Chris, but they can’t dampen the weary salesman’s delight in his son. Christopher is the apple of Daddy’s eye.

Then Linda leaves Chris (and their son) for a job in New York. She’s barely out the door when Chris learns he’s been offered the coveted internship. The catch? It’s unpaid. Despite the financial risk, Chris decides to go for it, frantically juggling his schedule to get Christopher to and from day care each day. But dwindling savings quickly result in an eviction from their apartment. And then another from a motel. Soon, father and son are homeless, staying in city shelters on good nights and in public restrooms on the worst.

As his desperation mounts, Chris clings tenaciously to the hope that his hard work will eventually pay off. And his dogged pursuit of a better life forges a powerful father-son bond that no misfortune can destroy.

Positive Elements

“You’re a good papa.” Those tenderhearted words from Christopher to his father as they spend the night in a homeless shelter poignantly capture the essence of The Pursuit of Happyness . Chris isn’t perfect, but one emotional scene after another clearly demonstrate his drive to protect and provide for his son.

Physical affection (hugs and kisses) and heartfelt moments mark their relationship. Chris repeatedly asks Christopher to trust him, and Dad proves that he’s worthy of that trust. When Linda threatens to leave, Chris demands that their son stay with him. He knows he’ll be a better parent than she would be—a reality to which Linda grudgingly acquiesces. Later, Christopher asks his dad, “Did mom leave because of me?” Chris responds, “Mom left because of mom. And you didn’t have anything to do with that.”

Actively concerned about his son’s education and mental development, Chris gets upset when he learns that Christopher’s day care provider, Mrs. Chew, lets the kids watch Bonanza and Love Boat . Chris teaches his son word meanings, such as the difference between probably and possibly , and the fact that happiness is misspelled on his day care’s sign. (It’s mistakenly spelled with a “y”; the film’s title intentionally follows suit.)

Chris encourages his boy to make a birthday wish-list, then gets him a basketball as a present. And one of the film’s most powerful scenes comes when Christopher is trying to shoot hoops with his new ball. After a strong-but-errant shot, Dad critically informs him, “You’ll excel at a lot of things, but not [basketball],” perhaps projecting his own experience onto his son. Christopher immediately lives down to Dad’s low expectations and takes a weak shot. Noticing his son’s downcast countenance, Chris realizes his error and rectifies the situation, saying, “Don’t ever let somebody tell you you can’t do something. Not even me. All right? You got a dream? You gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you you can’t do it. You want something, go get it. Period.”

A harrowing night of homelessness finds the pair killing time at a deserted Bay Area Rapid Transit stop. Father and son imagine that Dad’s bone-density machine is actually a time-travel device that takes them back to the time of the dinosaurs. Christopher gleefully joins in the make-believe game as they flee from a T-Rex into a “cave”—a public restroom where they spend the night. Dad holds the door shut with his foot, and tears stream down his face as he watches his innocent son sleep on his lap.

In addition to such a strong father-son relationship, The Pursuit of Happyness also presents the American Dream as an achievable reality. It begins when Chris asks a Dean Witter broker (who he sees getting out of a bright-red Ferrari) what’s needed to do the job. The answer he gets back is this: “You’ve got to be good with numbers and good with people.” Chris believes he has those skills and aggressively pursues executives at Dean Witter once he discovers internships are available.

He hounds his first contact, Jay Twistle, until the man pays attention to him. Several other people at Dean Witter give Chris chances to prove himself, though they aren’t really duty-bound to do so. And even though he’s virtually broke, Chris gives $5 to one of his rich superiors so he can pay for cab fare. Later, Chris misses an appointment with an executive (for reasons beyond his control), and goes to the man’s house to apologize. The exec, Walter Ribbon, in turn, kindly invites Chris and Christopher to share his skybox at a 49ers game.

A “live” TV clip of President Ronald Reagan includes the exhortation, “We’ve got to face the truth, and we’ve got to work to turn things around.” Chris does that, and much, much more.

Spiritual Elements

Chris and his son stay at a shelter that offers a gospel-oriented church service. A choir sings, “You promised you’d meet me at the altar of prayer/… Lord, please move that mountain.” Other lyrics insist, “I won’t give up,” and include the line, “Hello, Jesus.”

Christopher tells his dad a joke about a drowning man who kept praying for God to save him. The man refuses the help of two boats that come by, insisting that God will answer his prayer. After he dies and asks God why He didn’t save him, God tells him, “I sent you two big boats, you dummy.”

Sexual Content

We see Linda in a bra and slip as she gets dressed for work. She’s also seen in a camisole. Two scenes show Chris and Linda (who are unmarried but living together) in bed (without any sexual activity). A brief shower shot shows Chris’ shoulders.

Violent Content

Sprinting across a busy San Francisco street, Chris gets hit by a car. He breaks the windshield then is thrown roughly to the concrete (yet avoids major injury). Linda hits Chris several times in anger; he in turn grabs her arm firmly. Twice, Chris shakes his son in moments of extreme frustration, but manages to exercise enough restraint not to hurt Christopher. Chris gets into a scuffle with another homeless guy who cut in front of him at the shelter. (Their conflict is broken up before it can turn into a full-on fight.)

Crude or Profane Language

A spray-painted f-word mars the slogan of Christopher’s day care (“Joy. Fun. Happyness”). As Chris explains the misspelling of happiness , Christopher asks, “Is f— spelled right?” Chris tells his son that’s not a word he’s supposed to learn, and that it’s not part of the school’s motto. Other profanity includes two-and-a-half s-words and a handful each of the words “h—,” “d–n,” “a–” and “b–ch.”

Drug and Alcohol Content

Linda smokes cigarettes.

Other Negative Elements

Chris is not by nature a deceptive person. But several times he lies in front of his son (who recognizes the deception) to keep others from realizing how desperate his situation really is. And when he’s unfairly left to pay a cab fare he doesn’t have the money for, he flees. (The infuriated cabby chases him, swearing and yelling threats.)

Chris’ lack of funds means he’s perpetually evading angry landlords who want back-rent from him. He always tells them he’ll get the money, but is never able to make good on that promise. Someone paints “Dear Chris, U suck” on the wall of his apartment. An internship administrator treats him like an on-call servant, asking him to do all kinds of favors (such as getting doughnuts, moving his car, etc.). After the IRS garnishes $600 in back taxes from his bank account, Chris loses his cool and angrily demands that a friend pay back $14 that he owes him (as his son looks on).

Christopher dances around in his underwear in two scenes.

Inspirational isn’t a word I would normally choose to describe a great movie, as it conjures up connotations of something sappy or overly sentimental. Nevertheless, I think that’s the word that best captures Will Smith’s powerful portrayal of real-life father and pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps worker Chris Gardner.

As a new father myself, I’m hard put to think of any movie I’ve ever seen that inspires me more to be a good dad than this one does. Days after seeing it, memories of certain scenes continue to challenge me in my own occasional moments of laziness or self-absorption. Suffice it to say that self-pity and lack of initiative are two character traits Mr. Gardner simply does not exhibit, no matter how bleak things get for him and his son. Instead, he elevates Christopher’s needs above his own over and over again. He can’t always change their awful circumstances, but Chris does everything within his power to meet his son’s physical and emotional needs, and to protect him. Nothing can deter this loving papa from lavishing affection and tenderness upon his son.

Director Gabriele Muccino says of this precious father-son relationship, “The movie plays like a love story. But in this case we don’t have a woman and a man meeting each other. Instead, we have a father and son walking together through life. Their relationship is very strong, very powerful. … Chris endures the unimaginable and still makes sure that not even the worst moments will have a bad effect on his son’s life.” The chemistry between the pair onscreen is no doubt enhanced by the fact that Will Smith’s son, Jaden, portrays Christopher.

Only a few negative elements (noted above) and the film’s occasional use of realistic, street-level vulgarities let it down. I’ve certainly seen PG-13 films with more language problems, but there’s still enough here (20-plus) to give discerning moviegoers pause. What won’t trip them up—and might even breathe new life into their own relationships—is Chris Gardner’s powerful, passionate pursuit of the best life possible for his little boy.

Adam R. Holz

After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.

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The Pursuit of Happyness

W ill Smith's new film is an old-fashioned Hollywood heartwarmer: a Horatio Alger-type tale based on the true story of US multi-millionaire Chris Gardner, who experienced hardship and homelessness before he found success. For all the film's occasional cheesiness, it's entertaining, good-natured and decently acted - and interesting in that it talks about the unglamorous subject of poverty.

This was a man who managed to grow very rich, that most politically incorrect of things, by founding his own stockbroking firm. For some, the fact that this is about poverty overcome and defeated will render the movie inauthentic or even mendacious. I wonder. Will Smith plays Gardner, a blue-collar guy who cares about standards: he complains about the misspelling of "happiness" on the mural near his son's playschool. His wife (Thandie Newton) leaves him and he and his boy are in desperate straits. Then Gardner, with his smart head for figures, manages to get an unpaid internship at a top brokerage firm: fate has given him a kind of bridging loan between a grindingly poor present and a possible comfortable future. But as he studies, Gardner is thrown out of his apartment for non-payment of rent, and he and his boy have to spend the night at homeless hostels, and even in a subway men's room. Frantically, Gardner keeps up appearances in front of the wealthy Ivy Leaguers who study alongside him.

This is an aspirational movie. But, unlike Billy Elliot, Gardner wants not to dance but make some serious bucks. That may cause a little squeamishness and nose-wrinkling in some quarters. The genial and likable Will Smith might be a very idealised version of what the fiercely driven Gardner was actually like - and the exact circumstances of his marital breakup are probably not rendered with absolute realism. But what is interesting is the taboo subject of how close the middle classes can get to poverty. Even in an admirable film like Nick Broomfield's Ghosts, the immigrant Chinese are the poor ones and the indigenous Brits are the wealthy ones, and ne'er the twain shall meet. In this film, they meet in the person of the hero himself. Maybe it would have been more statistically truthful to show someone trying and failing. The opposite, however, is not necessarily dishonest. It's certainly entertaining.

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The Pursuit of Happyness Reviews

It is Will Smith's lead performance in this that really stole the show and won me over. It really elevated this movie.

Full Review | Original Score: 7.5/10 | Sep 4, 2021

The Pursuit of Happyness reveals the soul-wasting nature of poverty and the lack of prospects for those condemned to economic oblivion.

Full Review | Sep 2, 2020

Will Smith can carry a film. And carry it he does, because without him, Happyness would founder in its own schmaltz.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jun 6, 2019

Director Gabriele Muccino has so overloaded the story with glib anecdotes that it's often depressing and, worse, monotonous. Everything that is admirable, and there is much, is down to Smith's verve.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 3, 2018

Save some of those Kleenex for The Pursuit of Happyness.

Full Review | Jan 5, 2018

The Pursuit of Happyness is a very Hollywood film, which could be good or bad depending on your point of view. It tries very hard to be profound and inspirational, but ultimately it's not up to the task.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Apr 25, 2011

Counterfeit emotion and submerged racism

Full Review | Aug 28, 2009

Sap, sentiment, and hokey plot devices bog down an otherwise down to earth story.

Full Review | Apr 29, 2009

Smith turns in a career-capping performance, and director Gabriele Muccino ingeniously turns the material inward, cautioning us all to be grateful for what we have, for we're closer to the edge than we think.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 23, 2009

Will Smith is getting all the awards buzz, but it's his real-life son, Jaden, who transcends all expectations in Happyness.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Nov 20, 2008

Full Review | Original Score: C | Oct 18, 2008

Even the glossiest of surfaces can't extinguish the genuine emotions running beneath them here.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Apr 6, 2008

Few films so convincingly portray the titanic struggle that some people face day in and day out just to survive.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Feb 28, 2008

This is Will Smith's movie from start to finish and he carries it wonderfully.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jul 14, 2007

[A] calculatedly emotional, sterilizingly cleancut drama.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jun 23, 2007

Hokey title, but sometimes movie is good.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | May 10, 2007

In an effort to make a crowd-pleasing film, the horrors that Gardner must have experienced on the streets feel glossed over by the Hollywood machine.

Full Review | Mar 24, 2007

The American Dream as white, rich and all male.

Full Review | Mar 21, 2007

Will Smith gives the performance of his career in a movie for which phrases like "heart-warming" and "life-affirming" were made.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 19, 2007

Sem jamais tratar o papel como uma simples oportunidade de mostrar seu alcance dramático, Will Smith comove justamente por demonstrar o esforço de seu personagem para se conter em momentos de grande emoção.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 3, 2007

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

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The Pursuit Of Happyness Review

12 Jan 2007

117 minutes

Pursuit Of Happyness, The

Everybody reacts to disappointment in different ways. Some go out and get shit-faced. Others buy a pram, fill it with toys and start throwing. Will Smith, however, makes a series of empty, visually appealing action movies.

We should explain: the disappointment in this case is losing out on Oscar back in 2002. He’d been hotly tipped to scoop the little gold geezer for his turn in Ali, but then along came Denzel Washington’s Training Day and that was that. This glaring oversight on the Academy’s part seemed to crush his spirit — hence the autopilot likes of Bad Boys II; I, Robot; Hitch and Shark Tale. All charming in their own way, but as tests of his capabilities as an actor, a Fresh Prince movie might have been more of a stretch.

Now, though, he’s back on the ‘serious-actor’ horse in The Pursuit Of Happyness, a film that does allow him to grow. In fact, Smith’s Pursuit Of Oscar is a muted affair. There are no grandstanding moments of high emotion, no obvious award-show clips. Smith’s Chris Gardner gets angry, yes. He cries, yes. But the emphasis here is on restraint and interesting choices — in the movie’s climactic moments, when most other actors would holler and bawl for all they’re worth, Smith opts for an understated and virtually wordless reaction, tears tickling his eyes. It works beautifully.

Although the movie Gardner is a man almost entirely without flaws (Thandie Newton, in contrast, labours with a thin ‘bitch-wife’ role), it’s a dream of a part and a heck of a tale — and, albeit with the usual Hollywood liberties, it’s all true. Gardner and his son did sleep in a locked railway station toilet. They did line up at homeless shelters with down-and-outs, scrabbling for a bed for the night — and all while Gardner was working at his internship, with no income and little chance of a job at the end of it.

And all, it seems, because of a line in the Declaration Of Independence that grants every American the inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness (don’t worry, pedants, the misspelling of the title is explained early on). Today, Gardner is a multi-millionaire with a best-selling book, but, as the title indicates, this is about the pursuit, and there’s real drama as Gardner pushes himself to breaking point, trying never to let his son (played with no little charm by Smith’s own kid, Jaden) realise the dire extent of their situation.

It’s clear from the off that we’re in rags-to-riches, wish fulfilment territory here, but this doesn’t quite stir like a Capra, or even a modern-day equivalent like Jerry Maguire or Shawshank. That’s partly because director Gabriele Muccino — the Italian helmer of L’Ultimo Bacio (the original version of The Last Kiss) — lends the film a muted autumnal palette which, sadly, dampens emotional engagement, while too much emphasis is placed on an unnecessary voiceover.

Yet, despite its flaws, the movie still warms the heart thanks to Smith, whose natural, irrepressible likeability carries the movie through its more formulaic moments. And if he should wind up on the podium at the Kodak Theatre next year, well… how’s that for an American Dream?

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Movies | 09 01 2007

The Pursuit Of Happiness Summary Analysis (Truly Amazing)

The most intriguing part about the movie is when Chris Gardner talks to his son about dreams and I quote: 

Don’t ever let somebody tell you, you can’t do something, not even me. You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you that you can’t do it.

We all have felt the need for someone to say these words to us at some point in our lives. Someone to pat us on the back and encourage us to follow our dreams no matter what.

We come across people in our lives that have a very pessimistic view of life and can discourage others as well. It is important to remember that if we can dream it then we can make it.

Dreams are powerful as they instill hope in us when things get tough and you shouldn’t ever give up on their dreams. 

The premise of the movie:

Chris Gardner has always wanted to be the best dad to his kids, unlike his own father. He has financial struggles while he’s working as a salesman but it’s still difficult to manage his expenses from his salesman job. While he’s trying to make the most of it, his wife who is tired of his financial struggles decided to leave him for a job opportunity in New York.

He’s left with his son and his responsibility which he’s happy to do. An unfortunate event at work forced him out of his apartment with his son and they didn’t have anywhere to go. Chris had applied for an internship at a very prestigious brokerage firm, he’s persistent in his decision to land a job through this internship but the only problem is that the firm will only hire one of the twenty interns.

He’s not willing to give up in the face of despair as he has the dream of making it better for himself and his son through this job. The movie shows Chris’s struggle in the face of despair and how he didn’t give up on his dream for his son. 

The Pursuit of Happyness – Official Trailer

Chris Gardner’s ideology:

The above-mentioned dialogue from the movie captures Chris Gardner’s resilience and ideology.

He was seen talking to his son about how he should never pay heed to others when they will discourage him from pursuing his dreams. He believes that no one should make you believe that you can’t achieve something you can dream and it is the very same ideology that he follows himself throughout the movie.

He’s “walking the talk” in the movie as he struggles with his choice of internship at a famous brokerage where everyone would tell him not to as it was unpaid with almost zero chance of a permanent job but it was his belief in his dream that made him pursue it nonetheless.

He went on with his intuition and worked hard for it and never let doubt or what others would have to say about it come in the way of his dream.

This was the gist of the movie and what it has at the center of it. I’m going to be giving you a detailed in-depth review on it for you to decide whether it’s message is worth your time or not.

I believe the message is truly amazing!

Meaning of Happiness:

The movie attempts to define “Happiness” which is a very subjective concept. It is near to impossible to define what happiness would mean for every single person on this planet but one can try to come up with a definition that would be agreed upon by the majority.

The movie tries to encapsulate happiness and what it means to be finding happiness through Chris’s journey and struggles. Someone might not be able to see happiness in his struggle but the movie walks you through his journey of finding his happiness.

It is important to note that it was about Chris and how he tries to give meaning to the word “happiness” for himself.

People often criticize how the movie associates his happiness with wealth and monetary things like big cars, nice houses, and the life of the rich and how he fancies such things but what one needs to understand that it’s the metric of his happiness.

People want what they don’t have and what they want to have in their life. For someone like Chris, an African American who is trying to paint his dream with the colors of reality in San Francisco. He belongs to a marginalized community and has seen financial and racial discrimination throughout his life and racial discrimination translates into social and economic disparities.

You can’t term his dream as “too capitalist” as it’s his dream and what he wants to have in his life and what he’s willing to put at stake for it.

It’s very important to note that it isn’t all about what he wants though. One of the major motivations portrayed in the movie is that he wants his son to have a better life as well.

The criticism is thus uncalled for when you look at it from his viewpoint and when you step into his shoes. We often don’t try to step into the other person’s shoes when it comes to understanding someone and their journey.

Happiness might mean something spiritual for someone, might mean family stability for some, peace of mind for others, and the list goes on.

The movie emphasizes the meaning of happiness and leaves it to you to put a face to it. Chris had to go through his struggles and financial difficulties to realize how his happiness was in his journey and what his journey made him into.

The journey you embark on has the power to shape you into the person you’re destined to be and it is the journey that matters. Everyone has to embark on this individual journey to find the meaning to their happiness and how they would define happiness. 

The lead character:

The movie starts with Chris Gardner shown as a loving, caring, and supportive husband and father to his wife and their son. He does have financial problems but he’s shown optimist and courageous that the problems will resolve and they will come out of it.

He’s trying to be better than his father and it can be seen in the trailer where he mentions he doesn’t want to be like his after whom he got to meet when he was 28 years old. This speaks from where a person is coming from and what they have in their mind.

We often try to be what our parents weren’t and that’s is what Chris is aiming at. He has this image of his father in his mind that he doesn’t admire and he wants to be there for his kid from the start. He wants to be the best dad for his kid and that’s what he’s shown to be.

He is willing to go to any length and work as much as he can to provide the best possible life to his only son. His wife is tired of his financial problems and career instability and wants him to find better pay than the one he has.

He works as a salesman and sells medical devices and it is a struggle. In the movie, a customer once mocks his medical device by saying that it looks like a time machine. It shows how uncommon the machines were thus making them a less marketable product.

He didn’t make much money from it and his wife didn’t see any future for them together. She left him and their son for a job opportunity in a restaurant in New York and while she didn’t put her faith in him with his financial troubles but she had faith in him that he will look after their son. It is shown how the kid couldn’t get why his mother left his father and him and blamed himself for it.

It is a common psychological phenomenon where children hold themselves accountable if there’s something not working between their parents. It has been seen in our children belonging to dysfunctional households. It affects them mentally and can leave imprints of trauma on their young minds for a lifetime.

Chris has been shown to be very considerate of his child’s emotions in relation to his mother’s decision. There’s a very powerful scene where his son can be seen talking to him and blaming himself for it. Chris acknowledges his feelings while categorically telling him that his mother didn’t leave because of him. It has nothing to do with him and he shouldn’t ever blame himself for it.

It is a very subtle but important message that how important it is for parents to address their children’s feelings and assure them that they shouldn’t torture themselves for what someone else chose to do. Children need these affirmations from their parents and it will leave a lasting impact on them. This child would know that someone’s actions don’t reflect on him even if it was his own mother.

We don’t realize the importance of this message but it can save someone the trauma of a lifetime. 

Moment of weakness:

After his wife left him with his son, he started to juggle his salesman work with taking care of his son single-handedly. He knew in his mind that he can’t give his son a good life with this work and he starts looking for other employment opportunities.

While he’s trying to do his best, an unfortunate incident happens at work where someone stole his medical devices which he was supposed to sell, and ran away with them. He tried chasing them down but to no avail and it ended up costing him money.

The monthly rent of his apartment was due and he couldn’t pay the rent in time for the past three months and the owner kicked them out from his apartment. Chris and his son didn’t have a place to go and became homeless.

They started living in the train station washroom and that’s when you can see a strong man having a moment of weakness. It is a great scene where he broke down with tears while his son was sleeping as it delivers a very significant message to the viewers and breaks the patriarchal idea of a strong man.

We have often heard people telling others that strong people don’t show their weaknesses to others, particularly men. It is, therefore, necessary to let the viewers see him crying and normalizing a man crying when he couldn’t keep it inside anymore.

People who can exhibit their emotions and what they are going through should be idolized and the fact that they had the courage to be confident in their own skin. It is a sign of strength if someone can express their moment of weakness and not otherwise. We glorify men who don’t cry in the face of despair and conceal their emotions which is a very patriarchal and conservative idea of strong men.

Why should one suffer in silence and what for?

Just to adhere to some societal gender roles and the patriarchal norms of the society.

More directors and movie writers should normalize this and make it a normal human experience irrespective of gender and absurd definitions. It is directly related to the phenomenon that men are more prone to committing suicide than women.

The reason for this is the societal pressure of not letting anyone know what you are going through if you are a man because the patriarchal view of strong men wouldn’t allow you to. It is a negative connotation that patriarchy only affects women and their role in society but it affects men too.

The definition of strongmen has engulfed many dreams and many vibrant lives. People commit suicide when they are on the edge and can’t suffer any longer and that is why it gets excessively necessary to give this message through the medium of movies and characters.

People should be able to find these characters relatable and learn something from them.

The dream Internship at the brokerage firm:

Life struggles and being from an impoverished background didn’t stop him from dreaming big.

One of those mundane days, after dropping his kid at the daycare center and trying to sell the medical machines, he came across someone who worked at a prestigious brokerage firm.

Chris asked him how he does what he does and how it has made him so rich and he told him about the firm. He went inside the firm and came to know about the internship program. The internship was highly competitive and unpaid.

He had to provide for his son while working towards his dream life. He applied for the internship knowing he would have to work more than the other interns as he had to earn for his position and for a living. The firm will hire only one intern when the six months duration towards the end of the internship period depending on the performance of the interns.

All of these difficulties didn’t stop him from trying his luck and he applied for the internship.

He started working as an intern at the firm while working at the other job to earn some money.

He had to look for shelter homes for the homeless to spend the night with his son and used to drop him at the daycare in the morning. Someone in his place might have settled for something less and wouldn’t have tried for something which didn’t promise a future but he had faith in his dream and the hope to secure it one day.

He was good with numbers and had the skills to outperform everyone else. He won many contracts for the brokerage firm during the internship period that made him earn the trust of many.

He didn’t shy away from working hard for his dream position and the story will show how it ended up for him. 

Life will get tough:

Life doesn’t treat us all in the same manner.

Some might have to struggle through it at a young age and some might have to face hardships during the middle. It doesn’t inform us of the plan in advance and we just have to tread the unknown path knowing that not everything is in our control.

You can stress over things as much as you want but it won’t affect the timing of things. You can work hard and leave it all on the timing then.

Chris went through everything one can possibly think of and still managed to grind through it. His wife left him, he had to take care of his son alone, juggle an internship with a salesman job, lost his home and had to spend a night at the subway station restroom, lives in a motel and homeless shelters.

Life humiliated him countless times but he didn’t give up on it and kept his patience and perseverance through this difficult time. He was rewarded with success but it all came at a price proving there are no free lunches in this world. 

Period of uncertainty:

Everyone has to deal with a period of uncertainty and that’s what happened with Chris.

After putting all the hard work into the internship, he was still not certain of the results.

He had finished his internship and sold all of the medical machines and had to wait for the results. He was hopeful but he didn’t let his hopes get too high because you can only do what’s in your hands.

He worked hard for it and tried everything in his capacity to make it happen and left everything on the line. Since it was almost the end of his internship days and he was uncertain of the future, he decided to take a well-deserved break. He went to the beach and let himself enjoy it for a while because why not.

He booked a hotel and spent the night there and gave himself the time to think and enjoy himself. 

He sold all the medical machines, he didn’t have much on his hands because all his money went into taxes.

He took the final exam of the internship to the best of his knowledge and hard work and had to wait for the results. The wait wasn’t easy as he had nothing to lose and everything depended on that position in the firm.

Towards the end, he was called for the interview and one can see how he was eager to go in for the interview despite the fact that he didn’t have the formal interview clothes and that he was rushing towards the office to make it in time. The scene will surely give you goosebumps as he’s running to make it and when he reaches the office and the interview with the managers starts that’s when it really hits you.

All his struggles came down to that very moment and the dialogue that will stay with you for the rest of life. It is when one of the managers asks him: “Chris, was it easy?” and he replies, “No, sir, it wasn’t”.

This wasn’t the answer of someone who was showing himself to be the victim of the circumstances but someone who knows what he has to endure to be standing where he was. It was someone who wasn’t shying away from his struggles but has acknowledged and embraced them.

It is important to take pride in your struggles because that is a part of you and defines you. ThinkPositiveCheck.com / Jon Peterson

He has attained his dream despite what the world would have said to him and proved his words that “If you have a dream then you gotta protect it” and he did the same in his case.

He kept the dream alive within him and took a leap of faith and it became his reality. 

A bit unrealistic:

Some viewers of the movie might term the ending a bit unrealistic.

It can also be criticized for its narrow generalization that Chris was one exception and it can’t be generalized and it would be true for the majority of people.

The film is based on a real story and the adaptation into a movie comes with some changes to the real story but it shouldn’t take away from the fact that it did happen for someone in real life.

It seems larger than life and unrealistic but isn’t that what we all live for? A grain of hope that someone somewhere realized his dreams and worked for them.

The world is full of disappointments and failures and we all experience our fair share of hardships and failures but the hope is one thing that keeps our spirits high. It is okay to share stories of exceptions if we can tell other stories to keep a balance. 

Conclusion:

We all carry dreams with us but not all of us put our heart and soul into it.

We aren’t taught to believe in our dreams against all odds, against what others have to offer about them, against our social and economic standings in society.

Chris came from a marginalized community and didn’t have much on his plate when he dreamt of a far better life for his son and himself. What makes him special is his resilience and his faith in his dream and is something that differentiates him from the majority of us.

We seek validation for our dreams from our parents, friends, and family, and in that, somewhere trying to fit in, we lose our dreams.

We stop dreaming and remind ourselves of how immature we are to think of such things.

We separate them from reality and mark them unrealistic while we go about our daily lives.

We never look inwards and try to look for peace in the outer world.

Society has a role to play in crushing our dreams by having us conform to the set norms and patterns of society and if someone thinks of something different than the set rules then label them as “rebellious” and “rules breaker”. All these words come with a negative connotation and force people to conform to the set patterns and norms.

Why would you dare associate yourself with something negative?

The fear of letting your family and friends down weigh heavy on our shoulders and demands sacrifices.

One should ask oneself why do we have to sacrifice our dreams to get accepted in society?

Why does acceptance come at such a cost?

Why suffer from depression and anxiety of unfulfilled dreams when you should be encouraged to achieve them in an ideal world but why don’t we have this ideal world even today?

All of this needs an answer and these questions should be addressed before someone has to give up on his dreams just to save the expectations of some people based on societal acceptance and norms.

I hope this helps you in defining your meaning of happiness and how important it is for you to find what truly means happiness to you. 

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The Pursuit of Happyness review | An emotional rollercoaster

Movies have the power to make you laugh, become emotional, and even profoundly move you at the same time. the pursuit of happyness is an inspiring story for the audience. read on for the pursuit of happyness review ., table of contents, the journey of pursuit, the pursuit of happyness review, thoughts about the movie, key takeaways.

Many of us can relate to the struggle of deciding which movie to watch. The Pursuit of Happyness, unlike other films, emotionally moves the audience because it is based on a true story. It will give you the right inspiration to go forward and catch your dreams. If you are interested in a career in filmmaking, reading movie and book reviews can help you shape your ideas for your projects and give you an understanding of the viewer’s mindset, all the while keeping in mind what you should and shouldn’t do.

Keep reading to see what The Pursuit of Happyness review has to offer.

‘The Pursuit of Happyness,’ written by Steven Conrad and directed by Gabriele Muccino, is a moving story about fatherhood, poverty, and preserving childhood innocence. The film was moving and executed so that it inspires genuine emotion in its viewers throughout its nearly two-hour runtime. The film is a high-quality drama with a powerful message about society and the American dream .

The film’s strength stems from its expert portrayal of a man who finds hope at rock bottom and succeeds in keeping his son safe even when circumstances force them to live on the streets. Chris Gardener, played fabulously by Will Smith, barricades himself and his son Christopher inside a subway station bathroom so that his son can sleep throughout the night with some feeling of security and safety. It is the film’s most powerful scene. 

The genius of the scene and the film is that Chris keeps his son’s innocence intact by telling him they went back in time. He says that the subway bathroom is a cave and that they’re hiding from imaginative dinosaurs while hiding his tears and grief.

Another strong point is the film’s message, portrayed in an emotional monologue on a rooftop basketball court. “Don’t ever let somebody tell you you can’t do something,” Chris tells his son and, by extension, the audience. “You’ve got a dream. You’ve got to protect it,” he says after inadvertently dampening Christopher’s dreams of becoming a professional basketball player. “You want something, go and get it.” 

It’s a message we’ve all heard before, but the conviction with which Smith delivers those lines, and the story, demonstrates the point so well breathes new life into the somewhat generic ‘follow your dreams’ speech.

The film reminds us how short life is not to be as happy and cheerful. We forget to be grateful in this fast-paced world, and this film reminds us of that. Reality can break you, but how you deal with it is entirely up to you. It reminds us to be grateful for the opportunity to spend time with the people we care about and spend time with them.

There are minor faults in the face of such incredible acting and beautifully emotional events. ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ remains an excellent film that uses emotion and childhood innocence to challenge viewers to respect and admire what they have while striving to achieve their dreams.

From The Pursuit of Happyness review, we learn that we often try to pursue happiness when we miss the smaller ‘happiness’ in our lives. This message in the film was exactly what everyone needed to hear.

• The Pursuit of Happyness takes us through an emotional ride and teaches valuable life lessons.
• The father-son bond is something you cannot give a miss.
• The movie tells its viewers to find real happiness and enjoy what they have while still chasing their dreams.

Explore the world of movies and the work that goes on behind the scenes. If you would like to know more or have any queries regarding filmmaking and pursuing it as a career, then please get in touch with us .

Liked this blog? Read next: Harry Potter book series | A magical adventure.

1. What is the main theme of “The Pursuit of Happyness” movie?

Answer: The main theme of “The Pursuit of Happyness” revolves around family, determination, and never giving up on one’s dreams despite facing extreme adversity. The film portrays the journey of a father, played by Will Smith, who finds hope and success even when living on the streets with his son, all while preserving his child’s innocence.

2. How does “The Pursuit of Happyness” inspire its viewers?

Answer: “The Pursuit of Happyness” inspires its viewers through the portrayal of a man who overcomes challenging circumstances and manages to keep his son’s innocence intact. The film delivers a powerful message about pursuing one’s dreams and not letting anyone deter you. It encourages the audience to protect their dreams and take action to achieve them, with an emotional monologue from Will Smith’s character serving as a memorable moment in the film.

3. What is the key takeaway from the movie, as mentioned in the blog?

Answer: The key takeaway is to appreciate the smaller moments of happiness in life, remain grateful, and pursue dreams with determination

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Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — In Pursuit of Happiness — Review of the Movie ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’

The Pursuit of Happyness: Movie Review and Analysis

• Categories: In Pursuit of Happiness Movie Review

About this sample

Words: 764 |

Published: Apr 8, 2022

Words: 764 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Works Cited:

• Baer, J. (2013). Coca-Cola's Content 2020 Advertising Strategy. Convince & Convert. https://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/coca-colas-content-2020-advertising-strategy/
• Bragesjö, F. (2011). Coca-Cola: History, Advertising and the American Dream. Culture Unbound, 3, 413-435. Crossland, K. (2019). The History of Advertising: A Comprehensive Timeline, From Print to Digital. Hubspot. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/history-of-advertising
• Gaffney, J. (2019). How Coca-Cola Became the King of Advertising. HousingWire.
• Green, C. (2019). Coca-Cola's Evolution of Ads: From Polar Bears to Sustainable Development. Triple Pundit.
• Kleinberg, A. (2014). The Evolution of Advertising. Inc.
• Nudd, T. (2014). History of Advertising: How We Got Here. Adweek.
• Raye, A. (2015). A Brief History of Coca-Cola Advertising Slogans. The Daily Meal. https://www.thedailymeal.com/drink/brief-history-coca-cola-advertising-slogans
• Sabatier, G. (2019). Digital Advertising: Past, Present, and Future. Millennial Money.
• Stanton, J. W. (2007). Coke's Recipe for Success. Harvard Business Review, 85(11), 30-32.

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The Pursuit of Happyness

43 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

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Chapter 11-Epilogue

Key Figures

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Important Quotes

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Prologue Summary: “Go Forward”

At the beginning of his autobiography, Gardner reflects on two events that helped him not only survive but thrive, even in the darkest circumstances.

The first was in the early 1980s, when, at age twenty-seven, outside San Francisco General Hospital, he saw a man in a “gorgeous, red convertible Ferrari 308” in search of a parking spot(1).Enamored by the “freedom, escape, [and] options” that the car represents, Gardner decided to offer the space where his own car was parked in exchange for information (3). Gardner asks the man about what he does and how he does it. The Ferrari driver replies that he is a stockbroker and will organize a few introductions for Gardner, who is “crazy enough to think I could do what he and others like him do, if only I can find an opening” (4).

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Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, happiness is a good father.

Are they plagued by those uncertainties of youth? Are they wondering if they will find a career, love, or meaning? Are they terrified by the threats of terrorist attacks, financial collapse, climate change and, well, the Apocalypse? Or, have they decided that the " American Dream " was not Thomas Jefferson's vision, but is instead a sappy Hollywood fantasy? Or, maybe they just hate my class? Sure.

In answering this question, Gabriele Muccino's "The Pursuit of Happyness," takes many usual directions that Hollywood movies take. At first, he seems to answer the question the way we would expect a Hollywood filmmaker to answer:

First and foremost, happiness is wealth. All the wealthy people in the movie are happy. All the other happy people are drugged; considering that they are in San Francisco, they are probably wealthy drug addicts. The only happy person that is neither wealthy, nor drugged, is a cute child (played by Jaden Smith , whose cuteness masks his precise acting).

Second, the film takes place in the 1980s, so happiness is a friendly White Male with bad hair and foreign car. There are a few happy White women; most of these women have fixed smiles, blank eyes and permed hair. People of Color are angry, depressed, or broken. The one exception is Will Smith , who effortlessly carries almost every scene with charm and delicate strength. His Chris Gardner is trying his best to become happy, while everyone in his environment is breaking him down.

Third, happiness is a based-on-a-true-story underdog, who defeats all the odds, overcoming all obstacles. Every time his life gets hopeful, a piano starts its simple melody.

On the surface, this filim is a standard Hollywood tale. On the other hand, it is a movie about an American dream, directed by an Italian, starring an African American. Meaning, it is not a normal Hollywood movie. This American film by this Italian Director is somehow a mixture of Vittorio De Sica and Frank Capra . Somehow, we are handed an Italian Neorealist film in the body of a Jimmy Stewart classic. It is Neorealist in that everything that can be wrong happens to this man. It is Capra-esque in that, through the force of his determination, he reaches a happy ending.

Further, it is a rare, rare, rare story of a sympathetic, caring, intelligent, dignified father. How many examples of positive fathers in major Hollywood movies are there? You have sixty seconds to mention five. Until then, I should remind you that Hollywood fathers are often dimwitted, defeated, absent, and usually evil. The worst culprit is Disney. Look at all the Disney fathers of all those Disney Princesses. When my little daughter was very little, I started reading Disney Princess bedtime stories to her, only to discover that all the fathers were horrible. The fathers, true to Joseph Campbell's mythologies, were tyrannical obstacles that had to be fooled, faced or defeated. Thankfully, my daughter could not read. Thankfully, I had a good imagination. Nevertheless, the fatherhood in this film is so outstanding that it almost compensates for all the rest of the Darth Vaders in all the rest of Hollywood.

Now, I should caution my praise. This film's world is a world almost without women. Unfortunately, all the women that carry any substance are hopeless. Thandie Newton , in a razor sharp performance, is jaded, exhausted, and angry, and abandons her child. The lazy Day Care Center owner busies her children with old television shows. The trusted hippy betrays her trust. The Homeless Shelter manager, though polite, is a gatekeeper who keeps the gate closed. It seems that Hollywood's way to praise a father is to attack the mothers.

Further, I should mention that biopics always reveal their source material by presenting specific characters as heroes and specific characters as hyperbolic wretches. In " Notorious " (2009) (the story of rapper Biggie Smalls), Sean Puffy Combs - the film's producer - is a savior while Tupac Shakur is crazy. In " The Social Network " (2010), Eduardo Saverin (the author of the source text) is the most human, compassionate character in Mark Zuckerberg's world of socially inept nerds. In "The Pursuit of Happyness," Chris Gardner is full of depth and sympathies, while his wife is shallow, unpleasant, and always furious. Translation: Chris Gardner is telling us his version of his story.

Still, moving beyond all the specifics, this film is simply wonderful because it is simply wonderful. It is loaded with wonderful moments, especially those moments between father and son. If happiness is a good movie, then I am very happy. Perhaps my students should watch this movie.

Omer M. Mozaffar

Omer M. Mozaffar teaches at Loyola University Chicago, where he is the Muslim Chaplain, teaching courses in Theology and Literature. He has given thousands of talks on Islam since 9/11. He is also a Hollywood Technical Consultant for productions on matters related to Islam, Arabs, South Asians. 

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‘The Idea of You' Review: Anne Hathaway Anchors Michael Showalter's Fluctuating Story Of Unconventional Romance – SXSW

In Michael Showalter's The Idea of You , based on the novel by Robinne Lee, Amazon/MGM brings to the screen a narrative that tantalizes with the prospect of exploring the complexities of love, age disparity, and the pursuit of happiness in the digital age. Anchored by Anne Hathaway's Solene, a single mother and art gallery owner, and Nicholas Galitzine's Hayes Campbell, a young pop star from the fictional band August Moon, the film sets its sights on charting the course of an unconventional romance, but the script muddles it all up to produce a somewhat funny, somewhat entertaining, albeit overly long romantic comedy.

Anne Hathaway portrays Solene, a Californian art gallery owner and single mother who had initially planned a solo camping trip. However, her plans are rerouted when she assumes the responsibility of taking her daughter Izzy (Ella Rubin) to Coachella, after Izzy’s father, Daniel (Reid Scott), is detained by work commitments. Seeking a moment of peace amid the festival’s chaos, Solene retreats to a trailer for a bathroom break, which leads her to a serendipitous meeting with Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), a 24-year-old member of the popular band August Moon, in an unexpected turn of events. 

The highlight comes when Hayes dedicates a performance of “Closer” to Solene, marking the beginning of an unforeseen connection. Drawn to her indifference towards his fame, Hayes pursues Solene, sparking the question: Will she embrace the possibility of romance with a younger man, or will her reservations about their age difference hinder her pursuit of happiness?

The Idea of You shines when it delves into the introspection and self-awareness that comes with significant life milestones. Solene's foray into the dating world, post-40, encapsulates the awkwardness of adulthood and the narrowing of options that accompanies it. This is compounded by the consideration of a younger partner, which the film approaches with a candidness. 

Yet, where it aims to capture the essence of shared vulnerability and trust, it falters, stumbling over a narrative that feels uneven and, at times, contrived because Hayes' actions tread a fine line between determination and disregard for boundaries. The film’s attempt to address the intricacies of their age gap and the external pressures of fame and internet culture on their relationship and often leans into the sensational rather than the substantive, missing opportunities to explore these themes with the nuance it deserves.

The film's overreliance on exposition, makes it feel like I’ve watched internet fanfiction come to life rather than a fleshed-out cinematic story. This is no slight to fanfiction, which can offer insights into character and emotion, but in a film seeking to carve out space in the romcom genre, the balance between fantasy and realism can be muddy if not careful–but Showalter and Jennifer Westfeldt's script seems ok with that.

My favorite aspect of the film is the relationship between Solene and her daughter Izzy as the chemistry between Hathaway and Rubin is palpable. They present a mother-daughter dynamic that stands as the film's emotional core. Hathaway's portrayal is nuanced and layered, offering a glimpse into the complexities of Solene's character that is both compelling and relatable. The acknowledgment of the film's unbalanced romance and its implications for Solene's life choices, particularly concerning her daughter’s well-being, introduces a layer of narrative depth that is the real backbone of this narrative. 

However, the relationship between Solene and Hayes struggles under the weight of believability. Galitzine’s portrayal, while earnest, fails to match Hathaway’s depth, rendering their connection less convincing. This exploration feels somewhat superficial, overshadowed by a script more concerned with romantic idealization than the messier, more meaningful aspects of love and life.

In an era hungry for rom coms that both entertain and enlighten, this film positions itself as a contender. However, its execution leaves it languishing in the realm of what could have been. Coupled with the length, and a saccharine resolution that undercuts its more serious undertones, The Idea of You renders it a fleeting pleasure rather than a lasting impact. Either way, it will no doubt find its audience, those yearning for escapism wrapped in the glow of star-crossed lovers against the backdrop of music and fame. Hathaway's performance offers moments of genuine emotion and connection that hint at the film's potential, which keeps things together long enough to be enjoyable.

Title:  The Idea of You

Festival: SXSW  (Closing Night)

Distributor:  Amazon/MGM

Release date:  May 2, 2024

Director:  Michael Showalter

Screenwriter:  Michael Showalter and Jennifer Westfeld

Cast:  Anne Hathaway, Nicholas Galitzine, Ella Rubin, Annie Mumolo, Reid Scott, Perry Mattfeld, Jordan Aaron Hall, Mathilda Gianopoulos, Raymond Cham Jr., Jaiden Anthony, Viktor White, Dakota Adan

Rating:  R

Running time:  1 hr 55 min

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