The Pursuit of Happyness [WS]

Director: Gabriele Muccino Gabriele Muccino

Overview

The rousing, true-life story of a single dad who went from living on the streets to owning his own brokerage firm is brought to the big screen by superstar Will Smith, appearing for the first time opposite his real-life son Jaden Smith. Set in early-'80s San Francisco, the film charts the hard times and eventual comeback of Chris Gardner, a suddenly single salesman who has custody of his son, but finds that providing for the two of them is a challenge in the increasingly unstable economic climate. He struggles to work his way from unpaid intern at Dean Witter to something more substantial, even as life continues to offer him setbacks. Making his Hollywood debut, Italian director Gabriele Muccino was championed by Will Smith for the project.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/27/2007
UPC:	0043396150850
Original Release:	2006
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	SONY PICTURES
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:57:00

Special Features

Making Pursuit: An Italian Take on the American Dream; Father and Son: On Screen and Off; The Man Behind the Movie: A Conversation With Chris Gardner; Inside the Rubik's Cube; "I Can" song; Director's commentary by Gabriele Muccino

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Will Smith	Chris Gardner,Christopher
Thandiwe Newton	Linda
Brian Howe	Jay Twistle
James Karen	Martin Frohm
Dan Castellaneta	Alan Frakesh
Kurt Fuller	Walter Ribbon
Takayo Fischer	Mrs. Chu
Kevin E. West	World's Greatest Dad
George Kee Cheung	Chinese Maintenance Worker
David Michael Silverman	Doctor at First Hospital,Doctor at First Hospital David
Domenic Bove	Tim Ribbon
Geoff Callan	Ferrari Owner
Joyful Raven	Hippie Girl
Scott Kloes	Tim Brophy
Rashida Clendening	Bus Driver
Eric Schniewind	Doctor
Peter Fitzsimmons	Doctor
Maurice Sherbanee	Roy The Old Neighbor
Zuhair Haddad	Cab Driver
Victor Raider-Wexler	Landlord
Mark Christopher Lawrence	Wayne
Darryl Fong	Policeman
George Maguire	Police Clerk
Joe Nunez	Driver Who Hits Chris
Adam Del Rio	Shoe-Spotting Intern
Rocky LaRochelle	Motel Manager
Erin Beers	Dean Witter Receptionist
Reuben Grundy	Businessman
Ming Lo	Young Executive
John Kovacevich	Young Executive
Bonnie Akimoto	Doctor's Receptionist
Stu Klitsner	Dr. Strauk
Esther Scott	Shelter Worker,Homeless Youth
Tina D'Elia	Shelter Worker
Cecil Williams	Reverend Williams
George Moffatt	Homeless Guy in Line
Amir Talai	Clerk
Mike Garibaldi	Paul
Jason Frazier	Young Man - Bus Fight
James Finnerty	News Reporter
Abigail Van Alyn	Ribbon's Receptionist
Bob Greene	Doctor at Oakland Memorial Hospital
Robert Anthony Peters	Glide Shelter Worker
Terri Orth-Pallavinci	Secretary
John Robb	Homeless Guy
Cathy Fithian	Policewoman
Keith Stevenson	Indian Grocery Clerk
Jeff Applebaum	Dean Witter Employee
Raven Joyful	Hippie Girl
Victor Hoagland	Ribbon's Associate
David Fine	Big Guy Rodney
Rose Aispuro	Blood Center Clerk
Kevin Crook	Smug Intern
David Haines	Other Young Executive
Karen Kahn	Professional Woman
Jim Finnerty	News Reporter
Phil Austin	Stock Broker
Rick Camp	Bus Rider
Brad Carr	Dean Witter Employee
Zachary Culbertson	European Tourist
Terri Orth-Pallavicini	Secretary
Ben Fritz	Dean Witter Trader
Daniel Wilder	Homeless Guys
Brendan Kruse	Bike Messenger
Kenny Santiago Morrero	Stock Broker
David Pearl	Stock Trader
Adam Wang	Dean Witter Trader
Richard Bischoff	Ribbon's Associates
Edward Donlin	Dr. Don Florio
Larry Hunt	Bucket Man
Arbin C. Kumar	Check Cashing Clerk
The Glide Ensemble	Glide Singers
Jerry Edwards McLilly	Smiley
Shareef Allman	Prisoner
Jeffrey Moon	Pizza Dad
Peaches Hutchinson	Pizza Mom
Brandon Dadwiler	Pizza Son
Tateanna Wheeler-Lezine	Pizza Daughter
Blake Neely	Conductor
Andrea Guerra	Composer

Technical Credits

Steve Conrad

Gabriele Muccino	Director
Steve Conrad	Screenwriter
Will Smith	Producer
Steve Tisch	Producer
David Alper	Executive Producer
Nina Henninger	Casting
Randolph Le Roi	Stunts
Ray Garcia	Key Grip
Denise Chamian	Casting
Denise Chapman	Casting
Jeff Mosley	Stunts
Willie Burton	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

The trouble with most inspirational movies -- which often gets them reclassified as manipulative schlock -- is that their outcomes are too easily predicted. The Pursuit of Happyness goes about matters a little differently, telling its story in retrospect, after the happy ending has occurred -- thereby setting aside the charade of suspense. This lets Gabriele Muccino's film focus on the engrossing details of Chris Gardner's improbable journey, as well as Will Smith's Oscar-nominated performance -- making it a little like a Shakespearean play, where audiences are more interested in how a plot is interpreted than whether it contains surprises. One such engrossing detail is the most vividly used prop since Wilson the volleyball: the bulky x-ray devices Chris drags around like overgrown sewing machines, sometimes losing them, sometimes recovering them again, but always as duty bound to them as he is to his son. As both remnants of a financial miscue and his only potential source of income, they're perfect symbols for his hardscrabble San Francisco existence, which Muccino renders with both grittiness and sensitivity. Smith produces his greatest depth and range yet, his performance containing an ingenuity to match that of his determined character. But the actor's contributions also extend to his real-life son, Jaden. Some observers saw this casting choice as gimmicky, perhaps a fatal dose of the preciousness informing Smith's 1997 single "Just the Two of Us," an ode to his older son. But not only is Jaden incredibly cute, he's also a chip off the old block, natural and true. That The Pursuit of Happyness was a box-office success is no great surprise to anyone who's followed Will Smith's career. But that he earns it this time through earnest commitment to his craft, rather than a wink and a clever sound bite, is an outcome worth cheering.