The Pursuit of Happiness

A couple of weeks back I watched "The Pursuit of Happiness". I had heard very good reviews about the movie and considering that Will Smith was nominated for the Oscars in the Best Actor category, I was really looking forward to watching it. After having watched it, I must definitely admit that it's one helluva movie. It is definitely one of the most inspiring and touching movies I have seen. The movie teaches tenacity and determination in the face of adversity.

This is a real story of Chris Gardner (played by Will Smith). Chris was a struggling salesman of unwanted and overpriced medical bone density scanners, while his wife wallowed in misery over having to work double shift to support the family including a young son. Chris, seeing that his medical sales career was not going anywhere asked two very pivotal question to a passerby in a Porsche, what do you do and how can he do it. These two questions changed his life and set in motion his pursuit of Happiness.

Desperate to gain financial happiness for his son and himself Chris takes a chance and applies for a stockbroker internship where one in twenty has a chance of a lucrative full time career. But this chance does come with a price. The opportunity does not come with a salary as he trains for the position. Chris is forced to get serious about his medical bone density business and make it work while he studies for his brokers exams. Because of his pursuit of this dream and the downfall of the medical sales business, Chris’s wife leaves him and he eventually becomes homeless. But he never loses his dream. He fights every step of the way with a single minded resolve to achieve what he believed in.

The movie boasts of some brilliant acting and dialogues. Will Smith is brilliant in his portrayal of Chris Gardner. He definitely deserved an Oscar (but then I am not sure how good Forrest Whitaker was in 'The last king of Scotland'). In my opinion, it is a must-watch.