The Pursuit of Happiness (1971)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Robert Mulligan

Writers:

Jon Boothe (writer)
Thomas Rogers (book)

Release Date:

16 July 1971 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

"I don't want to run anymore..."

Plot:

A young college student is sent to prison as much for killing a pedestrian with his car as for not paying his parking tickets...

Plot Keywords:

Prison | On The Run | Escape | Skinny Dipping | Idealist

Cast

Michael Sarrazin	...	William Popper
Barbara Hershey	...	Jane Kauffman
Arthur Hill	...	John Popper
Ruth White	...	Mrs. Popper
E.G. Marshall	...	Daniel Lawrence
Robert Klein	...	Melvin Lasher
Sada Thompson	...	Ruth Lawrence
David Doyle	...	James Moran
Barnard Hughes	...	Judge Vogel
Peter White	...	Terence Lawrence
Tom Rosqui	...	District Attorney Keller
William Devane	...	Pilot
Gilbert Lewis	...	Convict George Wilson
Albert Henderson	...	Convict McCardle
Ralph Waite	...	Detective Cromie

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexuality, nudity, drug content and brief violence. (2009 rating)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #22563) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG

Company:

Talent Associates

Quotes:

Mrs. O'Mara: Carelessness, accident, what difference does it make? She's still dead!

Not bad for its time

Usually these Young-People-against-The-System films from the late 60's-early 70's are populated with groovy-talking stoners, angry radicals, and even angrier authority figures (cops, parents, etc.) But this one dispenses with those cartoons. Sarrazin and Hershey play idealistic college students, but Sarrazin is realistic enough to understand he needs help from his family connections when he gets into trouble, and Hershey doesn't have a beat-the-system attitude when Sarrazin escapes from custody; in fact, she can't fathom why he was so stupid.

It all revolves around an accident involving Sarrazin hitting a pedestrian with his car. It has nothing to do with campus politics and no attitudes are posed. The filmmakers don't try and truckle to the youth crowd by having the establishment types be played over-the-top. When Sarrazin mildly mocks the justice system, his lawyer played by E.G. Marshall shuts him up fast with a well-written lecture that reasonably explains Marshalls' viewpoint. And, noticeably, it is Marshall's law assistant, of the same age as Sarrazin, who is played as far more hard-core establishmentary than Marshall, or Sarrazin's father, played by Arthur Hill. The film also features a young Robert Klein, who is quite good as Sarrazin's buddy. It also features a small but striking performance from William Devane as an airplane pilot hired to help Sarrazin. Devane is on screen no more than thirty seconds before he becomes more interesting than anyone else in the film (although Sarrazin's grandma is quite a kick, even though one note). And yes, Hershey does show off her very nice young figure in a couple of scenes. Unfortunately, the film also features Randy Newman drone-singing one of his boring songs at the opening and closing.