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Movies / On DVD / The Pursuit of Happyness
The Pursuit of Happyness

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The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

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Reviews Counted:165

Fresh:109

Rotten:56

Average Rating:6.4/10

Consensus: Will Smith’s heartfelt performance elevates The Pursuit of Happyness above mere melodrama.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for some language

Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Dec 15, 2006 Wide

Box Office: $162,586,036

Synopsis: In The Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner (Will Smith) is a family man struggling to make ends meet. Despite his valiant attempts to help keep the family afloat, the mother (Thandie Newton) of his... In The Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner (Will Smith) is a family man struggling to make ends meet. Despite his valiant attempts to help keep the family afloat, the mother (Thandie Newton) of his five-year-old son Christopher (Jaden Christopher Syre Smith) is buckling under the constant strain of financial pressure. No longer able to cope, she reluctantly decides to leave. Chris, now a single father, continues doggedly to pursue a better-paying job using every sales skill he knows. He lands an internship at a prestigious stock brokerage firm, and although there is no salary, he accepts, hopeful he will end the program with a job and a promising future. Without a financial cushion, Chris and his son are soon evicted from their apartment and forced to sleep in shelters, bus stations, bathrooms, or wherever they can find refuge for the night. Despite his troubles, Chris continues to honor his commitment as a loving and caring father, using the affection and trust his son has placed in him as an impetus to overcome the obstacles he faces. Columbia Pictures presents in association with Relativity Media an Overbrook Entertainment/Escape Artists Production The Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith, Thandie Newton and introducing Jaden Christopher Syre Smith. The film is directed by Gabriele Muccino and written by Steven Conrad. The producers are Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, James Lassiter and Will Smith. The executive producers are Louis D’Esposito, Mark Clayman, David Alper and Teddy Zee. The director of photography is Phedon Papamichael, ASC. The production designer is J. Michael Riva. The film editor is Hughes Winborne, A.C.E. The costume designer is Sharen Davis. The music is by Andrea Guerra. The Pursuit of Happyness has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for Some Language. The Pursuit of Happyness will be released by Columbia Pictures on December 15, 2006. -- © Columbia Pictures [More]

Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Dan Castellaneta, Thandie Newton

Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Dan Castellaneta, Thandie Newton, Brian Howe

Director: Gabriele Muccino

Director: Gabriele Muccino
Screenwriter: Steve Conrad
Producer: Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, James Lassiter
Studio: Columbia Pictures

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Release:

Mar 27, 2007

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Reviews for The Pursuit of Happyness

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161 - 170 (sorted by date)
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The Pursuit of Happyness expectedly suffers from Muccino's overstated handling of the material.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
12/11/06
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Slant Magazine

Sings the blues with all the authority of Barry Manilow.

Full Review Source: ÜberCiné | comment Comment
12/11/06
Gregory Weinkauf
Gregory Weinkauf
ÜberCiné

A conventional weepie made worthwhile by the rapport between Will Smith and his real-life son.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
12/10/06
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

The actual story must have been more poignant than this screen version, which exhibits all the attributes of middlebrow cinema: It's earnest, solemn, predictable, and inspirational; even so, Will Smith gives a valiant performance against all odds.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
12/09/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

This Sisyphean movie succeeds in portraying '80s era San Francisco as a deceptively appealing city with a flaky underbelly inhabited by desperate hippies and homeless people.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
12/08/06
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

... The Pursuit of Happyness winds up being a little like the determined salesman Mr. Gardner himself: easy to root for, certainly, but not that much fun to spend time with.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
12/07/06
Brian Lowry
Brian Lowry
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

... this is a slick studio production with a huge movie star and top professionals occupying every production role so that the polish of this well-made film makes even homelessness look neat and tidy.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment 1 Comment
12/07/06
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Pursuit of Happyness speaks eloquently to the anxieties of our own time, when staying afloat, let alone movin' on up, has rarely been tougher.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
12/06/06
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is the saddest Will Smith movie I've ever seen. But the worser it gets the more you know how it'll come out at the end.

Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment 15 Comments
12/06/06
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals

A true story told in a deeply heartwarming style: there's never any doubt where this film is going.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment 1 Comment
12/06/06
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
 
 
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