The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) on Netflix
1981, San Francisco. Chris Gardner sells bone-density scanners, and the sales cannot cover the bills for his wife and son, Christopher. A brokerage manager leads him to an unpaid internship.
- Netflix4.0/5
- IMDb8.0/10631,377 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes67%
Trailer
Plot summary
Chris Gardner supports his wife Linda and their young son Christopher by selling portable bone-density scanners to physicians in San Francisco. His savings are tied up in the devices, which cost more than standard X-rays, so most doctors treat them as a luxury. Three sales a month would cover the family's needs, but the sales stall, the rent falls behind, and Linda works long shifts that still leave the household short. He spots an internship program at the brokerage and securities firm Dean Witter: twenty applicants, six months, no pay, and one of them hired at the end. Chris, who never knew his own father, earns a place in the program, and the family's expenses have to shrink while he competes.
Cast
- David Michael Silvermanas Doctor at First Hospital
- Domenic Boveas Tim Ribbon
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The intentional misspelling of the film's title comes from a mural that Gardner sees on the wall outside the daycare facility his son attended. The screenplay by Steven Conrad is based on the best-selling 2006 memoir Gardner wrote with Quincy Troupe.
- Chris Gardner initially thought Will Smith, an actor best known for blockbuster films, was miscast to play him, until his daughter told him, "If Smith can play Muhammad Ali, he can play you", pointing to Smith's role in the 2001 biopic Ali.
- The film debuted first at the North American box office with $27 million in its opening weekend, beating heavily promoted films such as Eragon and Charlotte's Web, and it was Smith's sixth consecutive number one opening.
- To create dramatic impact the film compressed several years of Gardner's life story into a shorter period, and Gardner himself makes a tiny cameo at the end, walking past the fictional version of himself.
