The greatest disturber of Gardner's harmony and the largest obstacle in his pursuit of happiness turns out to be the government itself, when it seizes $600 from Gardner's bank account for overdue taxes, leaving him with less than $25. In an ironic twist on Jefferson's conception of the role of government, Gardner quotes the language of the first draft of the Declaration, which ultimately was not adopted, that speaks about the “disturbers of our harmony.” The Pursuit of Happyness succeeds as a broad meditation on the themes of liberty and justice articulated in The Declaration of Independence. While there are striking images that display the contrast between rich and poor, Gardner's financial success as a stockbroker is actually dependent upon the creation of wealth through entrepreneurship and enterprise in the stock market. And Gardner does in fact fight against poverty, but he does so within a context that ultimately rewards his hard work and intelligence.
#PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS MOVIE TRUE STORY MOVIE#
The sale of the machines, cashing in on their capital value, represents much needed time to complete the critically important internship at Dean Witter.Ībsent from the movie are traditional hallmarks of liberal criticism of the market economy: Gardner's story is one that occurs within an America conceived as a meritocracy rather than one defined by racism or class struggle.Īll of the rich white characters in the film, with one possible exception, treat Gardner with respect, fairness, and dignity, even compassion.
![pursuit of happiness movie true story pursuit of happiness movie true story](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/6c/17/d2/6c17d28e51b16276a1eed4c8e146a1ef--film-quotes-pursuit-of-happiness.jpg)
When Gardner has finally sold the final machine, he describes it as an injection of “four more weeks” of oxygen. This imaginative playfulness belies the fact that they must spend the night in a subway station bathroom, one of the more touching scenes in the film.īut the scanner truly is a “time machine” in a metaphorical sense. They pretend that they have traveled back to prehistoric times and must seek refuge from the marauding dinosaurs. uses this as an opportunity to distract his son from their dire circumstances. and his father fancifully imagine that the scanner is a time machine, and Chris Sr. In order to finance their living expenses for the duration of an unpaid internship (his entry into the stockbroking profession), Gardner must sell all of his remaining scanners.Īt one point, Chris Jr. The credulous Gardner has invested his family's savings into purchasing a stock of these devices, which he can in turn sell to his exclusive market of San Fransisco-area medical centers. The point of the joke and its place in the film is that God normally works his providential will through natural means.Īn instance of this providential work comes in Gardner's relationship with his job as the movie begins, as a salesman of bone density scanners. Then the man told God, “God, why didn't you save me?” and God said, “I sent you two boats, you dummy!” On another occasion, Christopher's son, played by Will Smith's own son Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, tells a joke: There was a man who was drowning, and a boat came, and the man on the boat said, “Do you need help?” and the man said, “God will save me.” Then another boat came and he tried to help him, but he said, “God will save me.” Then he drowned and went to Heaven.
![pursuit of happiness movie true story pursuit of happiness movie true story](https://cdn.quotesgram.com/img/61/98/1660901591-PursuitOfHappiness-770x481.jpg)
One of the film's great moments of emotional catharsis occurs in the context of a Gospel worship service. Religious elements in the film are understated but nevertheless present.
![pursuit of happiness movie true story pursuit of happiness movie true story](http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/happyness/chrssntd.jpg)
In real life, Christopher Gardner speaks of his “spiritual genetics,” a legacy of religious affection inculcated in him by his mother. By 1989, the rate would be at a decade-low of 5.3 percent. The national unemployment rate for the first few years of the 1980s hovered between 7.1 and 9.7 percent. Early on, the protagonist is watching a television address by Ronald Reagan, outlining the woeful fiscal climate of the country, with record deficits and unemployment. The story begins in 1981, as the nation was beginning to emerge from the dark economic period inaugurated under the administration of President Jimmy Carter. The narrative is inspired by the true life experiences of Christopher Gardner, a struggling and homeless single father turned successful stockbroker and CEO. This may sound like an improbable anomaly given the traditional political, ethical, and social allegiances of Hollywood, but the power of the story lies in its basis in fact, and this in turn prevents it from being appropriated as a tool for liberal political ideology. Will Smith's latest movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, stands as an extended argument underscoring the truth of conservative values.