THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS : Movie analysis

i.

SUMMARY
Chris Gardner a salesman invest his entire savings in portable bone-density
scanners, which he demonstrates to doctors and pitches as a handy quantum leap over
standard X-rays. This scanners is very important to his life. For he needs to get his
profit from it and for them to survive their daily needs in the family. At first its sales
is at its peak but as time passed by it slows down and until it is not enough to sustain
their needs in the family. The financial instability in their family gradually destroy his
relationship to his wife Linda, who works as a hotel maid.
Gardner meets Jay Twistle, a manager for Dean Witter Reynolds, while he was
trying to sell one of the scanners downtown. Twistle was impressed when Gardner
was able to solve a Rubiks Cube during a short taxi ride. When Twistle leaves the
cab, Gardner lacks money to pay the fare, leaving him no choice but to runway from
it. While the drivers chasing him, he get in a train but loses one of his scanners.
His new relationship with Twistle gains him with the opportunity to become one an
intern stockbroker. The day before his interview, Gardner spend the night in jail as a
sanction to his parking violations. This incident cause him to arrive on time on his
interview but wearing shabby clothes. Despite of his clothes he was able to impress
his interviewers giving him a slot to become one of the 20 interns competing for a one
slot and paid position as a stockbroker.
Gardners unpaid internship does not please Linda, causing Linda to leaves for
New York. Christopher, their son was agreed to stay with Chris.
And due to some uncertainties, Chris bank account was collected by the government
for unpaid income taxes, leaving him with less than twenty-two dollars resulting him
and his son in becoming homeless. There are days that they spend their nights at a
shelter for the homeless, at a train station or in a hotel.
Due to his difficulties Gardner learned to finish his work early but efficiently. He
manages his time wisely developing a number of ways to make phone sales calls
more productively. Later Gardner finds the lost bone scanner and after repairing it,
eventually he was able to sell it to a doctor, in this way he was able to complete his
sales on the scanners. He soon take his son to the beach where the two of them spend
their time with each other, far from the noise of this complicated world.
He really worked hard for the remaining months of his internship and when the
last day of their internship approached his manager calls him to the office giving him
the good news that among the interns he was the one qualified for the position.
Gardner was really happy, giving thanks to his manager. Then he rushes to his sons
daycare and he embrace his son with love. He was so happy, after all the difficulties

in their life they were able to survive it and win it. Later he build his own brokerage
firm.

ii.

MAIN CHARACTER ANALYSIS :

CHRIS GARDNER played by Will Smith plays a role of a loving father,

husband and a persistent salesman. His happiness is his familys happiness. He never
gives-up just to give his family a good life. His character endures all the pain his
going through in his life just to provide for his family. Learning from his child
experience that he will never let his son to grow without a father to look after to. Will
Smith was able to portray the character so well giving justice to the character of Chris
Gardner.

iii.

USAGE /MEANING OF THE TERM HappYness

The term HAPPYNESS was used in the movie instead of using the
correct spelling of it, HAPPINESS. Changing I to Y. It was intentionally
misspelled for the reason of giving emphasis that all men are equal of acquiring
happiness. It was taken and inspired by an essay written by Lemuel Haynes in
1776 about the equality of whites and blacks. "We hold these truths to be selfEvident, that all men are created Equal, that they are Endowed By their Creator
with Certain [sic] unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the
pursuit of Happyness."
HAPPINESS means being in state of being HAPPY. And it should not just
belong to a single person, I, but instead it belongs to everybody, to YOU, and to
everyone else. In the movie Chris Gardners happiness is fulfilling not just his
own happiness but his familys happiness too.

iv.

PERSONAL INSIGHTS/ REFLECTION

Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which
chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health,
occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits.
-

Thomas Jefferson

When life hits us by challenges and difficulties we always fail to see the blessings
and the true happiness in store for us. Causing us to look at happiness as an
impossible thing in this reality called life. But according to Thomas Jeffersons quote,
Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life but always in the
result of a good conscience, good health, occupation and freedom in all just
pursuits. We could achieve happiness through not looking at our status in life and
comparing it to others. But we could be simply be happy by being contented with
what we have and by doing the goodness in life and by not giving up in all the
challenges and difficulties, after all our God our Father will abundantly repay it. Its
roots may be bitter but its fruits is a sweet success of HAPPINESS.