The Pursuit of Happyness

20062006
PG-13PG-13
1h 57m

Will Smith, Brian Howe, Thandiwe Newton, and Jaden Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Trailer for The Pursuit of Happyness

Play trailer2:25

Biography Drama

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.

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 12 wins & 26 nominations total

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)

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Based on a true story about a man named Christopher Gardner. Gardner has invested heavily in a device known as a "bone density scanner". He feels like he has it made selling these devices. However, they do not sell well as they are marginally better than x-ray at a much higher price. As Gardner works to make ends meet, his wife leaves him and he loses his apartment. Forced to live out in the streets with his son, Gardner continues to sell bone density scanners while concurrently taking on an unpaid internship as a stockbroker, with slim chances for advancement to a paid position. Before he can receive pay, he needs to outshine the competition through 6 months of training, and to sell his devices to stay afloat. —John Wiggins, Alf Fonz

motivational passion hardwork hare krishna american dream 50 more

Taglines
- Inspired by a true story.
Genres
- Biography
- Drama
Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
- Rated PG-13 for some language
Parents guide

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: [after playing basket ball] Hey. Don't ever let somebody tell you... You can't do something. Not even me. All right?
Christopher: All right.
Christopher Gardner: You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period.

Connections
Featured in The 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2007)

Soundtracks
When the Saints Go Marching In
Traditional

Top review

8/10

The Ultimate Guy Movie

If you ever wanted to see a movie that portrayed what really makes a man, then you must see this movie.

Forget Stalone. Forget Arnold. Forget Bond. Forget all those romantic comedy whimps. Bruce Willis never had to make this many life threatening decisions in Die Hard.

Will Smith gives a better performance of toughness here than he did portraying Muhammed Ali.

This movie is raw. This movie will force you to examine your manhood. See if you can look in the mirror after watching this film.

Fathers, don't let the PG-13 rating fool you. This movie is not for kids. If you let your child see this movie you may regret it. Your child may never be able to look at you the same way again. Your child will wonder why you are not more like Chris Gardner.

helpful•109

32

wesinid
Dec 17, 2006

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
See more company credits at IMDbPro

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

Runtime
1 hour 57 minutes
Color
- Color
Sound mix
Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1

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