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THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS 4 Stars – Uplifting For those who have never faced poverty, it is easy to assume
that
everyone
has
the
means
to
make
it
in
our
complex
world.
If they don’t, then it is easy to think that
their
poor
condition
is
most
probably
their
fault
or
at
least
a
reflection
that
they
were
not
trying
hard
enough.
So
we
shuffle
them
off
into
the
darker
corners
of
our
cities
and
give
little
thought
to
their
well-being,
let
alone
their
happiness.
This
social
and
spiritual
reality
is
powerfully
revealed
in
Gabriele
Muccino’s “The Pursuit of Happyness.” Inspired by the true life story of
Chris
Gardner,
Will
Smith
and
his
son
Jaden
are
cast
as
the
central
characters,
Chris
and
Christopher
Garden. Explaining in voice-over dialogue that his father
had
not
been
there
for
him,
Chris
explains
that
he
has
promised
himself
that
he
would
be
a
different
father
by
being
involved
in
his
son’s
life. Committed and intelligent, Chris had invested
his
life
savings
in
a
medical
device
that
proved
to
be
virtually
impossible
to
sell.
As
his
financial
foundation
crumbled
beneath
him,
his
wife
Linda
(Thandie
Newton)
worked
double
shifts
until
she
could
do
so
no
longer. With both parents struggling young Christopher
was
enrolled
in
a
preschool
taught
by
a
woman
who
spelled
“happ-y-ness” with a “y” and had the children watch old reruns
on
TV
for
hours
a
day. It was then that Chris realized that
the
authors
of
the
Declaration
of
Independence
were
accurate
when
they
said
that
we
have
the
right
to
pursue
happiness,
implying
that
it
is
not
guaranteed.
He
took
his
courage
in
hand
and
accepted
an
internship
with
a
brokerage
firm
that
paid
no
salary
for
six
months
and
would
promise
that
only
one
in
twenty
interns
would
be
hired. It was then that Linda left him to his financial
fall
and
was
persuaded
to
leave
their
son
with
him
as
well. As we walk with Chris and Christopher
through
the
next
six
months,
we
journey
through
their
housing
decline
from
an
apartment
for
the
working
poor
to
low-income
housing
in
a
motel
to
the
shelter
of
a
church
to
homeless
nights
in
public
bathrooms
and
transportation.
The
juxtaposition
of
living
on
the
streets
during
the
night
and
going
to
a
top
brokerage
firm
during
the
day
is
jarring.
The
people
with
whom
Chris
shares
his
days
have
no
idea
of
the
abject
poverty
of
his
life,
and
neither
do
most
of
us. Although this is a story of rags to riches in Chris Gardner’s
life,
the
truth
is
that
most
of
the
homeless
and
working
poor
struggle
to
survive
on
a
daily
basis.
Though
most
of
us
do
not
close
our
eyes
to
them,
we
have
difficulty
understanding
the
complex
economic,
social
and
racial
barriers
that
are
at
work. We seldom realize that the game is rigged in
favor
of
those
who
are
“well-connected”
and
it
begins
when
we
are
young. At the end of the film, as Chris is walking with his son and
drilling
him
on
the
facts
of
life,
it
is
easy
to
see
that
he
has
recognized
that
his
son
cannot
attend
a
preschool
where
they
can’t
spell
happiness
and
still
be
able
to
win
in
its
pursuit.
He
needs
his
father’s
faithful
care
and
courageous
involvement. The same is true for every child in our society.
They
all
need
our
care
and
involvement
so
that
we
do
not
allow
any
to
be
ignored
or
unprepared
in
their
pursuit
of
happiness.
Discussion:
1.
Often
the
plans
to
buy
into
a
company
and
sell
their
product
to
become
rich
only
costs
a
person
their
life
savings. Have you ever been taken by such a dream?
Has
someone
you
known
been
taken?
What
happened?
2.
The power of a father’s love protects
young
Christopher
from
the
damaging
effects
of
their
descent
into
poverty,
as
seen
by
his
desire
to
return
to
sleep
in
the
“cave”
with
his
dad. How have your parents protected you or not protected
you
from
the
harsh
realities
in
life?
3.
The fact that Chris is a mathematical
genius
is
seen
by
his
solving
the
Rubik’s
cube
in
record
time. What do you think would have happened to him
and
to
his
son
had
he
not
been
so
intelligent?
4.
The internship at the brokerage firm took
six
months
of
young
people’s
lives,
got
the
company
business
at
the
interns’
expense,
and
then
only
hired
one
person.
Do
you
believe
that
was
fair?
Why
or
why
not? ________________ Cinema In Focus is a social and spiritual
movie
commentary.
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