Review of The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) by Sw. — 17 Dec 2006

Will Smith's performance deserves an Oscar!...what a refreshing job of acting! Since this is a true story, we know the outcome, but how the character was built is the core of the movie. I agree with a previous post that Wall Street is about greed and that men of color are discriminated.

..and I'm almost certain that in real life, Gardner himself was the victim of racial discrimation. The 80's was an era of social transformation when racial discrimination was coming to a serious frution within society, which wasn't completed until the late 80's-early 90's.

I believe Hollywood wanted to make this a "feel good" movie rather than show the harshness of our society. Sadly, it only showed "money" is the "pursuit of happy-ness"...

It was a very sad story that made me shed tears, but it also made a false impression. I've worked as a trader and find stockbrokers to be fast-talking self-centered ego-maniacs...but that's the nature of their job.

I also find it hard to believe that Gardner's wife left without a hitch knowing she worked double shifts to keep her family alive when Gardner wasn't pulling his load. The story was quite riveting and inspirational, but it was also filmed in Hollywood-style, where stories are embellished without question.

With a background in law and financing, I presume there is more to Gardner's real life, which was probably cut from the film.