The Pursuit of Happyness
Short description
Chris Gardner is a talented salesman in San Francisco whose income cannot cover even the basics for himself and his young son, Christopher. When his partner leaves and the two are evicted with nowhere to go, Chris keeps chasing work while raising the boy alone. A place as an intern at a brokerage firm offers a way forward, though it pays little and demands a great deal, and father and son endure hard conditions before his effort can turn into something better. The story is drawn from Gardner's own life.
Gabriele Muccino directed the film, his fourth feature, arriving between Remember Me, My Love and Seven Pounds. Steven Conrad wrote the screenplay, and Will Smith produced and stars as Chris, with his son Jaden playing Christopher; Thandiwe Newton, Brian Howe, James Karen and Dan Castellaneta appear in supporting roles. Muccino's film was released in December 2006 and runs 117 minutes.
Made for about 55 million dollars, it took roughly 307 million worldwide, a strong return. On IMDb it holds 8 out of 10 from around 617,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.9 from about 10,900, while the critics' rating stands at 6.6 from 174 reviews, so audiences rate it appreciably higher than reviewers do.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film's title is taken from the United States Declaration of Independence; the misspelling of the word “happiness” is related to graffiti on the facade of his son’s daycare, where the word was written exactly like that.
- In one scene of the film, Mr. Ribbon asks his secretary to call Mr. Ristuccia. This surname is frequently used by director Gabriele Muccino in his projects.
- The real Chris Gardner, whose story the film is based on, makes a cameo appearance at the very end. He is the man who walks past Chris and Christopher in one of the final shots.
- On the roof of the taxi in which Chris Gardner demonstrates his ability to quickly solve a Rubik's Cube to Jay Twistle and from which he later escapes without paying, you can notice an advertisement for the film "Raging Bull" (1980).
- The "Bible" of the broker, with which interns are advised to "sleep, eat and live," is the classic work by Benjamin Graham and David Dodd, "Security Analysis," first published in 1934. Will Smith's character and the others are given its 1988 edition, while the script indicates that the events take place seven years earlier, in 1981.
- According to the script, the events in the film take place in 1981, but the medical device, a densitometer, which Will Smith’s character tries to sell, did not come into use until 1987.
- Homeless people who were used as extras received the minimum daily wage required in San Francisco ($8.62 per hour at the time) and free food for their participation. For some of them, this was the first money they had earned in a long time.
- “The Pursuit of Happyness” was Gabriele Muccino’s Hollywood debut and his first English-language project. Will Smith insisted that he direct after seeing his earlier works “Kiss Me Again” (2001) and “Remember Me” (2003).
- While Christopher is approximately five years old in the film, in reality, Chris Gardner's son was only two years old during the events depicted.
- Will Smith's son, Jaden Smith, played the role of Christopher, the son of Chris Gardner. Christopher is also Jaden Smith's middle name.
- The municipal bus that Chris and Christopher board in one scene of the film previously played a significant role in the movie “Speed” (1994). In addition to the main steering wheel, it has an auxiliary one, carefully hidden behind the front seats.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
