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IMDbPro

The Pursuit of Happyness

  • 20062006
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 57m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
524K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,147
128
Will Smith, Brian Howe, Thandiwe Newton, and Jaden Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Trailer for The Pursuit of Happyness
Play trailer2:25
17 Videos
99+ Photos
BiographyDrama
A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career.A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career.A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career.
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
524K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,147
128
  • Director
    • Gabriele Muccino
  • Writer
    • Steve Conrad
  • Stars
    • Will Smith
    • Thandiwe Newton
    • Jaden Smith
  • Director
    • Gabriele Muccino
  • Writer
    • Steve Conrad
  • Stars
    • Will Smith
    • Thandiwe Newton
    • Jaden Smith
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 914User reviews
    • 194Critic reviews
    • 64Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 12 wins & 26 nominations total

    Videos17

    The Pursuit of Happyness
    Trailer 2:25
    Watch The Pursuit of Happyness
    The Pursuit of Happyness
    Trailer 2:24
    Watch The Pursuit of Happyness
    The Rise of Will Smith
    Clip 3:44
    Watch The Rise of Will Smith
    Which Roles Did Will Smith Turn Down?
    Clip 2:27
    Watch Which Roles Did Will Smith Turn Down?
    The Pursuit of Happyness
    Clip 0:51
    Watch The Pursuit of Happyness
    The Pursuit of Happyness
    Clip 0:33
    Watch The Pursuit of Happyness
    The Pursuit Of Happyness: I'm Going To New York
    Clip 1:07
    Watch The Pursuit Of Happyness: I'm Going To New York
    The Pursuit Of Happyness: Drowning In The Water
    Clip 0:35
    Watch The Pursuit Of Happyness: Drowning In The Water
    The Pursuit Of Happyness: Internship Interview
    Clip 1:23
    Watch The Pursuit Of Happyness: Internship Interview
    The Pursuit Of Happyness Scene: It's A Basketball
    Clip 0:17
    Watch The Pursuit Of Happyness Scene: It's A Basketball
    The Pursuit Of Happyness: Are We Going To The Game
    Clip 0:52
    Watch The Pursuit Of Happyness: Are We Going To The Game
    The Pursuit Of Happyness: You Got A Dream
    Clip 0:52
    Watch The Pursuit Of Happyness: You Got A Dream

    Photos166

    Will Smith and Jaden Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
    Will Smith and Jaden Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
    Jaden Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
    Jaden Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
    Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
    Thandiwe Newton in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
    Will Smith and Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
    Will Smith and Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
    Will Smith and Gabriele Muccino in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
    Will Smith and Gabriele Muccino in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
    Will Smith and Gabriele Muccino in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
    Will Smith and Gabriele Muccino in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Will Smith
    Will Smith
    • Chris Gardner
    Thandiwe Newton
    Thandiwe Newton
    • Linda
    • (as Thandie Newton)
    Jaden Smith
    Jaden Smith
    • Christopher
    • (as Jaden Christopher Syre Smith)
    Brian Howe
    Brian Howe
    • Jay Twistle
    James Karen
    James Karen
    • Martin Frohm
    Dan Castellaneta
    Dan Castellaneta
    • Alan Frakesh
    Kurt Fuller
    Kurt Fuller
    • Walter Ribbon
    Takayo Fischer
    Takayo Fischer
    • Mrs. Chu
    Kevin West
    Kevin West
    • World's Greatest Dad
    George Cheung
    George Cheung
    • Chinese Maintenance Worker
    • (as George K. Cheung)
    David Michael Silverman
    • Doctor at First Hospital
    Domenic Bove
    Domenic Bove
    • Tim Ribbon
    Geoff Callan
    Geoff Callan
    • Ferrari Owner
    Joyful Raven
    • Hippie Girl
    Scott Klace
    Scott Klace
    • Tim Brophy
    Rashida Clendening
    • Bus Driver
    Eric Schniewind
    • Doctors
    Peter Fitzsimmons
    Peter Fitzsimmons
    • Doctors
    • Director
      • Gabriele Muccino
    • Writer
      • Steve Conrad
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Chris Gardner: At the end, the real Chris Gardner walks past Chris and Chris Jr.
    • Goofs
      In one scene, the train doors close on Chris Gardner's hand while he is holding a bone scanner. He doesn't let go, and the train departs with the doors partially open. That would never happen in real life; BART trains are designed not to move if the doors of any car are obstructed.
    • Quotes

      Christopher Gardner: [narrating, at a payphone, raining, after learning Linda is taking Christopher away from him] It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that?

    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Rocky Balboa/The Good German/Letters from Iwo Jima/The Pursuit of Happyness/Breaking and Entering/Home of the Brave (2006)
    • Soundtracks
      When the Saints Go Marching In
      Traditional

    User reviews914

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Great performances, inspiring story
    I was involved with one of the first test audiences almost a year ago, and came away quite impressed with the acting performances and heartfelt punch of Pursuit of Happiness. This is easily one of Smith's best films, as he pours his heart and soul into the main character. While the plot may remain a bit transparent, it leaves you asking the question of yourself - how long would you keep battling to get what you really want out of life? I plan on seeing the film again when it releases to the general public, and am very interested to see what changes were made after running it through the test screenings. As I saw it then, it needed very few, if any, changes.
    helpful•185
    59
    • nwsurfrider
    • Dec 7, 2006

    FAQ6

    • Why was, Chris- you suck-' written on the wall when Will Smith was painting the apartment?
    • Is there a real Chris Gardner?
    • Are there any differences between the movie story and the real story?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 15, 2006 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Sony Pictures (United States)
    • Languages
      • English
      • Cantonese
    • Also known as
      • Untitled Chris Gardner Project
    • Filming locations
      • Candlestick Park - 602 Jamestown Avenue, San Francisco, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Columbia Pictures
      • Relativity Media
      • Overbrook Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $55,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $163,566,459
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $26,541,709
      • Dec 17, 2006
    • Gross worldwide
      • $307,127,625
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 57 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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