The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Raymond W

  
  A story that is inspirational, and moving, predictable, and moves a little too slowly is elevated considerably by the incredibly moving and touching performances of Will Smith and Jaden Smith. It could have been extremely melodramatic, but the great performances and comic moments… More
  A story that is inspirational, and moving, predictable, and moves a little too slowly is elevated considerably by the incredibly moving and touching performances of Will Smith and Jaden Smith. It could have been extremely melodramatic, but the great performances and comic moments keep it at great, emotional drama.

• moon r

  
  A father with his back to the corner battles his way back to the center of the ring. Will Smith and his son, Jaden, are superlative is this confirmation of the American dream, and you root for them every step of the way. I began thinking that Will brought out the best in his son… More
  A father with his back to the corner battles his way back to the center of the ring. Will Smith and his son, Jaden, are superlative is this confirmation of the American dream, and you root for them every step of the way. I began thinking that Will brought out the best in his son only to realise that Jaden brought out the best in Will, making this (in my humble opinion) Will's best.

• Film C

  
  I really enjoyed this movie, its so sweet and its nice to see Will Smith with his actual son which was a good idea as i feel it made the story come across as even more realistic. Its sweet and heart warming that many people can relate to! Well worth the watch!

• Albert K

  
  -Spoiler alert- "The Pursuit of HappYness" is an okay movie. Will Smith's performance is, of course, great. The direction is what you'd expect. However, my main gripe about this movie is how it hits audiences over the head over and over with how horrible Will… More
  -Spoiler alert- "The Pursuit of HappYness" is an okay movie. Will Smith's performance is, of course, great. The direction is what you'd expect. However, my main gripe about this movie is how it hits audiences over the head over and over with how horrible Will Smith's life is. There is very little that audiences can capture from Will Smith's struggles until he is finally liberated. So basically, the story outline goes: "Here comes crap. His life sucks----- still sucks--- oh look, its sucking even more---- man, look at how crappy his life is-----" and then once the end comes, it just happens. That's it. There is an inkling of a moral that audiences can capture but it is not emphasized. The Pianist falls under the same flaw.

• Lucas M

  
  Not terrific, but is not really bad. The Pursuit of Happyness is weak and very sentimentalist. Anyway, the movie presents a moving story and good actings. Fresh.

• Alexander D

  
  I am a sucker for touching films like this. Not the typical Will Smith film, but still great, anyway. Him and Jaden do a great job as portraying a father and son duo onscreen. (Like that was hard?)

• Brad W

  
  Will Smiths best performance of his career, a great movie.

• Eric A

  
  This movie is full of heart, gotta love it.

• Bethany M

  
  A really heartwarming true story!

• Sophie B

  
  A sweet and inspiring film that really shows that if you try hard enough you can get almost whatever you want. A brilliant and interesting story (even though fairly predictable) with a believable cast. It really shows you how bad life gets for some people. If I were in that position I… More
  A sweet and inspiring film that really shows that if you try hard enough you can get almost whatever you want. A brilliant and interesting story (even though fairly predictable) with a believable cast. It really shows you how bad life gets for some people. If I were in that position I would never have succeeded.

• Nadira I

  
  The type of movie that becomes really good because it was created from amazing story. The movie gave us the glimpse of the homeless and unemployed people. A movie about how hard some people actually work to lift their way up to become successful. Will Smith was such a good choice to… More
  The type of movie that becomes really good because it was created from amazing story. The movie gave us the glimpse of the homeless and unemployed people. A movie about how hard some people actually work to lift their way up to become successful. Will Smith was such a good choice to play Chris Gardner. Chemistry between him and his son, Jaden Smith, should not be questionable anymore. The movie will bring hope to many people who watch it. No matter how hard it is, we can actually do it if we dare to try.

• Bently L

  
  Will Smith is one of my favorite actors and this is one his best performances to date. The Pursuit of Happyness is heartwarming, tearjerking, and believable. Jayden Smith's film debut was great! He was believable kid! Despite it being PG-13 for language, this is a film… More
  Will Smith is one of my favorite actors and this is one his best performances to date. The Pursuit of Happyness is heartwarming, tearjerking, and believable. Jayden Smith's film debut was great! He was believable kid! Despite it being PG-13 for language, this is a film reccomended for family viewing. It'll teach your kids a good lesson. "This part of my life... this part right here? This part is called "being stupid."

• Jeff "

  
  The Pursuit of Happyness is like every other rags to riches story. The only difference is, that this is based on a true story, where most of these types of films would be fiction. This is the true story of Chris Gardner a down on his luck salesman who tries to make ends meet for his… More
  The Pursuit of Happyness is like every other rags to riches story. The only difference is, that this is based on a true story, where most of these types of films would be fiction. This is the true story of Chris Gardner a down on his luck salesman who tries to make ends meet for his family. Gardner faces some hard times as he is forced into homelessness after being evicted from his apartment. Chris Gardner applies for a stockbroker internship, and slowly but surely he is able to find his way. Will Smith portrayal as Chris Gardner is phenomenal and I loved his departure from the usual action films he stars in, this was a different type of role for him, and he pulled it off very well. Pursuit Of Happyness is a poignant film, but it does manage to make you feel good by the films closing. Most importantly, it doesn't try to manipulate your emotions. This is a film that does have a few comical moments to ease the sadness of the overall film. A very heartwarming film, The Pursuit Of Happyness is the true story of Chris Gardner who seeked a better life for himself and his son, and in the end he succeeded in doing just that. This is one of Smith's best films, and for me, at least it shows that he's able to branch in other genres of film other than action. I'm not normally impressed with Will Smith, but as Chris Gardner he's perfect. Director Gabriele Muccino's Hollywood debut as a director is an impressive uplifting drama about seeking to pursue a better life. Though not a perfect film by any means, Happyness still manages to be a well acted film with a solid plot. It's very uplifting to see the character, Chris Gardner go from being down on his luck to heading down the right path for a better life. Unlike most feel good films, The Pursuit Of Happyness doesn't feel sappy or corny due to Will Smith impressive performance. A terrific film with a great message.

• Jay H

  
  Certainly takes you through Gardner's hardships in an effective manner, though I found Smith's performance to be decidedly hit-and-miss.

• Richard C

  
  B+

• Coxxie M

  
  haha got this movie for my gramma... old people dont know the difference!

• Jason L

  
  A beautiful, heartwarming movie by Will Smith. It's slow moments and questionable scenes are the only flaws. You have to smile at the character's determination throughout the story, and you can't help liking it.

• KJ P

  
  It's very sad and dramatic, but there's nothing wrong with that here! Great acting by all of the cast!

• Alexander W

  
  Not such that I don't like the director but the story itself is familuar and just about kept my interest through the movie by thinking about why humans pursue happiness (or happyness) yet I liked the fact its based on a true story in the 80s. That gives it the depth I need to… More
  Not such that I don't like the director but the story itself is familuar and just about kept my interest through the movie by thinking about why humans pursue happiness (or happyness) yet I liked the fact its based on a true story in the 80s. That gives it the depth I need to like the movie.

• Anthony L

  
  Will Smith is an actor who goes from strength to strength in every film he does (Apart from Hitch). I found his son quite annoying though and I can't stand Thandie Newton.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings