IMDb > The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
The Pursuit of Happyness
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The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 94 | slideshow) Videos (see all 18)
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) -- A struggling salesman (Will Smith) takes custody of his son (Jaden Smith) as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional endeavor.
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) -- Clip: You got a dream...you got to protect it
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) -- Interview: Will & Jaden Smith "On Will Always Being in Character"
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) -- A struggling salesman (Will Smith) takes custody of his son (Jaden Smith) as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional endeavor.
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) -- A struggling salesman (Will Smith) takes custody of his son (Jaden Smith) as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional endeavor.

IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   67,615 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Up 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Gabriele Muccino

Writer (WGA):

Steve Conrad (written by)

Contact:

View company contact information for The Pursuit of Happyness on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

15 December 2006 (USA) more

Genre:

Biography | Drama more

Plot:

A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional endeavor. full summary | add synopsis

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 9 wins & 17 nominations more

NewsDesk:
(71 articles)

Trailer Hints Extraordinary Measures
 (From CanMag. 11 November 2009, 11:03 PM, PST)

Will Smith To Star In “Flowers For Algernon” Remake?
 (From Filmofilia. 11 November 2009, 1:35 PM, PST)

User Comments:

Entertainment galore, plus inspiration for families, for entrepreneurs and for social action more (505 total)


Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Will Smith ... Chris Gardner

Jaden Smith ... Christopher (as Jaden Christopher Syre Smith)

Thandie Newton ... Linda

Brian Howe ... Jay Twistle

James Karen ... Martin Frohm

Dan Castellaneta ... Alan Frakesh
Kurt Fuller ... Walter Ribbon

Takayo Fischer ... Mrs. Chu

Kevin West ... World's Greatest Dad

George Cheung ... Chinese Maintenance Worker (as George K. Cheung)
David Michael Silverman ... Doctor at First Hospital

Domenic Bove ... Tim Ribbon

Geoff Callan ... Ferrari Owner

Joyful Raven ... Hippie Girl

Scott Klace ... Tim Brophy
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:

The Pursuit of Happiness (International: English title) (alternative spelling)
Untitled Chris Gardner Project (USA) (working title)
more

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some language.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:12A | Ireland:12A | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:6 | Sweden:7 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42013) | Italy:T | Australia:M | Portugal:M/12 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | France:U | Argentina:13 | Finland:S | Brazil:Livre | Hong Kong:IIA | South Korea:All | Malaysia:U

Filming Locations:

Alameda, California, USA more


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

The "bible" that the interns were told to sleep, eat, and live with is called "Security Analysis" by Benjamin Graham, 1934. There have been newer, subsequent revisions to this book. more

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where Christopher has a scuffle with the taxi driver and tries to get his scanner back out of the taxi, he has opened the front door. But when the taxi driver grabs him and tries to pull him out of the taxi, all of a sudden they are on the car bonnet, then Christopher throws the taxi driver on to the taxi bonnet, in the same shot, the front door is closed again. more

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Christopher: Where are we going?
more

Movie Connections:

References Raging Bull (1980) more

Soundtrack:

Feelin' Alright more


FAQ

Why is "happiness" spelled wrong in the title?
Are there any differences between the movie story and the real story?
Which is the movie (with Glenn Ford) in hotel's TV when Chris has sold de last scanner?
more
163 out of 200 people found the following comment useful.
Entertainment galore, plus inspiration for families, for entrepreneurs and for social action, 15 December 2006
10/10
Author: Neil Carlson from Grand Rapids, Michigan

They just don't make many this good. The audience and I cried, laughed, cheered and applauded. The climactic scene is as powerful and cathartic as The Shawshank Redemption's golden moment. Will Smith is terrific, his son Jaden is just perfect, and Thandie Newton puts in a convincing supporting act. The movie's 1980s San Francisco is absorbing and authentic without stealing the show.

Best of all, if you are a thinker, this movie will challenge your visions of family, business and society. On one hand, the film reinforces the great American myth of the self-made man and equal opportunity. Myths are not necessarily false simply for being myths--we can make some of them true by choice, and our belief in this myth still helps make America great. Free-market capitalism is not the cure to all ills--surely it is the source of many ills--but it does open social doors that nothing else can even budge. On the other hand, if you can leave this movie without a burning indignation that any American child of any race should have to struggle just to have a place to sleep, you must be cynical indeed. This movie doesn't get on a soapbox, not even for a second--it just tells a real-life story that owns you before you know it.

I hope a few of us will let our motivations own us for years instead of hours after the movie's over.

Was the above comment useful to you?
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