If You Want Something, Go Get It

Yesterday, I watched The Pursuit of Happyness. For anyone who hasn't seen the ads, "happyness" is not a typo on my part. It is actually the title of the movie. I'll explain why later. The Pursuit of Happyness was released in 2006, was directed by Gabriele Muccino (an Italian director who has directed several Italian films I have never seen), and stars Will Smith (best known for his character on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air [TV], but also appeared in several other films), and introduces Jaden Smith (Will's real-life son).

The film tells the true story of Chris Gardner (Will Smith), a salesman down on his luck, who decides he wishes to be a stockbroker so he can provide better and in a more regular capacity for his son, Christopher (Jaden Smith). In an effort to become a stockbroker, he applies for an unpaid internship at Dean Witter, a brokerage firm. The internship involves six months of training, with no pay, with only one out of twenty interns becoming a full-time employee at the firm. Chris and his son are required to endure hardship after hardship, including losing his marriage, their car, their home, and all of their money. Chris works hard throughout these trials and tribulations, and his enduring love and provision for his son helps him persist through the most difficult of circumstances, and prevail in the end.

Speaking to my promise before, the misspelling of "happyness" in the title of the film comes from a mural outside of Christopher's daycare, in which the word is misspelled. Chris emphasizes to his son that that is not the correct spelling of "happiness," which made me feel better about the whole misspelling in the first place. The title itself, of course, comes from the Declaration of Independence, in which Thomas Jefferson wrote the ever-famous words, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." Chris comments on these words in the film, saying, "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 we can only pursue and maybe we can never actually have it. No matter what. How did he know that?"

That is how the entire movie feels. Leaving aside a few minor moments of joy when Christopher comes out with a joke (adorable!), or when Chris completes a Rubik's cube and impresses a potential employer, and the last five minutes or so, the entire movie is drastically, devastatingly sad. Instead of eagerly watching to see what happens, I found myself shying away - getting water, getting a snack, going to the bathroom - to prolong seeing the bad things happen. Missed opportunities, great loss, and deep fear make this movie hard to bear.

This is not to say that the actors do a terrible job, nor is it a terrible film. On the contrary, Will and his son (among other actors in the film) are incredible. There is a natural chemistry between Will and Jaden, and it is clear that they love each other very much - exactly what was necessary in a movie like this. You feel everything that Chris feels - that is how amazing Will Smith is in this role.

This movie makes you grateful for everything you have - down to the roof over your head and the relationships you have with family and friends. In that way, the film is humbling and appropriate for the season. But this is not a heartwarming, feel-good film. I cautiously recommend it, but, please, don't watch it alone, and don't watch it if you are already sad.