The Pursuit of Happyness [Blu-ray]

The Pursuit of Happyness [Blu-ray]
by Gabriele Muccino

The Pursuit of Happyness [Blu-ray]

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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Brian Howe, Jaden Smith, James Karen, Thandie Newton, Will Smith
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Brand: Sony
Producer: Chris Gardner
Producer: David Alper
Producer: James Lassiter
Producer: Jason Blumenthal
Producer: Louis D'Esposito
Producer: Mark Clayman
Writer: Steve Conrad
Blu-ray: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Original Language); French (Dubbed)
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 2.40:1
Running Time: 117 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: 2007-03-27
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Product features:

Condition: New
Format: Blu-ray
Anamorphic; Color; Dolby; Subtitled; Widescreen

Movie Reviews of The Pursuit of Happyness [Blu-ray]

Movie Review: The Best Film About Survival to Come Around in a While
Summary: 5 Stars

As a big Will Smith fan, I was hoping for a great performance by the actor in "The Pursuit of Happyness". In "Men in Black", "Enemy of the State", and "I, Robot" Smith delivered amazing performances. In "Ali", "Bad Boys II", and "Wild Wild West", Smith not only delivered lackluster performances, but he chose scripts that really failed to deliver anything worth the price of admission. But this film, this absolute brilliant masterpiece of movie making creativity, deserves a whole lot of recognition!

"The Pursuit of Happyness" is one of the most "real-to-life" movies to come around in a while. The script is energetic, interesting, and smart; the acting is second to none; and the performance Will Smith turns in is without a doubt his best work to date.

This is the kind of movie that can inspire people to see past their struggles and look toward the light at the end of the tunnel. People who are going through financial, spiritual, and mental struggles need a film like "The Pursuit of Happyness" to remind them that lots of people have struggled, are struggling, and will struggle to be the best they can be in life.

Will Smith (playing the role of Chris Gardner) and his on screen wife, Linda (played by Thandie Newton), are exceptionally convincing as two parents trying to make things work when everything in their lives seems to be falling apart. Smith is stunningly realistic as a man just about to go over the deep end as life throws him as many punches as his Ali character actually took in the boxing ring. Some of the scenes where Smith and Newton are verbally jousting looked as if a physical confrontation was about to come to fruition, but it doesn't.

Smith had to rely on every single emotion, physical characteristics of humans, and making another person's story appear as his own to pull this film off. This is his crowning achievement as far as this critic is concerned. Much like Val Kilmer could make movies from now until the day he is unable to act and never be able to top his performance as Doc Holiday in the movie "Tombstone", Will Smith may never be able to rise above his accomplishments in this performance.

Jaden Smith plays the part of Christopher (Chris Gardner's son) and is just as convincing as his real life father throughout the entire film. The two work magic on the big screen. And as much as I don't get into the whole put-a-cute-kid-in-a-movie-and-you-can't-lose philosophy, Jaden Smith is a kid you just can't help but enjoy seeing say predictable things in the movie. The kid doesn't overact at all. That's a big plus for a film like this, where it is based on a true story.

Brian Howe (playing the part of Jay Twistle) is great as the man who gives Gardner his first big shot at a more positive future. His fascination with the Rubik's Cube while riding in a taxi, Gardner begging him for a chance at becoming a stockbroker, is a scene I won't soon forget. Two men in a taxi, trying to solve Rubik's Cube, with one of the men trying to find a way to solve the puzzle of his own life, and one man not even realizing the desperation that was riding beside him in the taxi; now that's irony. Isn't that exactly what causes a lot of the pain we see in the world today - the lack of one group of humans to see the needs and thoughts of another group of humans?

Will Smith is a great actor, and he seems like a genuinely good person with a great future. He is not your typical Hollywood Big Head, with the all the superstar baggage we see with most of the Hollywood elite. The main character in this movie seems like the best example of what Smith's real life integrity is like; and it's a good statement! I wish Smith and his family all the best! Thanks for working so hard on this film.

If you are reading this review and trying to decide if "The Pursuit of Happiness" is a movie worth seeing, just ask yourself if you are interested in the story of human struggle. If the answer is yes, then I suggest you see this film.

See ya next review!

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Summary of The Pursuit of Happyness [Blu-ray]

Will Smith stars in the inspirational true story of Chris Gardner, a San Francisco salesman who's struggling to make ends meet. When his girlfriend Linda (Thandie Newton) walks out, Chris is left to raise their 5-year-old son Christopher (Jaden Smith) on his own. Chris' determination finally pays off when he lands an unpaid internship in a brutally competitive stockbroker-training program, where only one in twenty interns will make the cut. But without a salary, Chris and his son are evicted from their apartment and are forced to sleep on the street, in homeless shelters and even behind the locked doors of a metro station bathroom. With self- confidence and the love and trust of his son, Chris Gardner rises above his obstacles to become a Wall Street legend.

A heartwarming film that demonstrates how good, hard-working people can become homeless almost overnight, Pursuit of Happyness is a tour-de-force showcase for Will Smith, who convincingly portrays a down-and-out dad trying to better his family's life. Smith, who usually is cast in effortlessly boyish roles (Men in Black, Independence Day), is wonderful in the film--even in the scenes that shamelessly tug at viewers' heartstrings. Based on the true-life story of Chris Gardner, a San Francisco salesman forced at times to shelter his young son (played by Smith's adorable look-alike offspring Jaden Smith) in a men's room, there is little suspense to the film in terms of Chris' outcome. (His story and eventual success a successful and wealthy Chicago businessman was well-publicized on the newsmagazine show 20/20.) And let's face it, Hollywood's not too keen on making feel-good movies with unhappy endings. The beauty (and suspense, to a certain extent) of this film is in the way the story is told. Though he is constantly rushing around to get to appointments and pick up his child, things do not happen quickly for Chris. When he accepts an internship with a prestigious stock brokerage firm, there's a catch: The position is unpaid, suitable more for trust-fund children than single parents with no other source of income. In many scenes, the viewer panics along with Chris, wondering how he's going to feed his child. While Smith and his son, Jaden, share many tender moments together, Thandie Newton has the thankless role of playing Chris' shrill wife, who deserts her family early in the film. It's not a particularly challenging part for the talented actress, and her departure doesn't impact the storyline much at all. As for the movie's misspelled title, it's inspired from a scene in the film. (Seeing a mural drawn by the children at a daycare center, Chris points out to the proprietor that "happiness" is spelled incorrectly. She notes that it doesn't matter how the word is written--just that the kids have it.) With Pursuit of Happyness, Smith has come out of his safety zone and, in turn, ends up playing his most heroic role to date. --Jae-Ha Kim

Extras from The Pursuit of Happyness

Behind the scenes footage of

The Pursuit of Happyness
high bandwidth

Chris Gardner:

"On Being Studied By Will Smith"

high bandwidth

Will Smith And Jaden Smith:
"On Will Always Being In Character"
high bandwidth

Beyond The Pursuit of Happyness on Amazon.com

More Films Starring Will Smith
More Films About Fathers & Sons
The Book

Stills from The Pursuit of Happyness (click for larger image)

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