The projector and the popcorn (42) - The Pursuit of Happyness

I watched The Pursuit of Happyness for the umpteenth time a few nights ago. It was the first time for dad though. He cried.

I love this movie. It's one of the most honest films I've seen. Will Smith has portrayed the character with such conviction that it seems like he IS Chris Gardner. You feel for him throughout. You laugh with him. You cry with him. This movie really makes you want to get out there and do something worthwhile. The life lessons that Gardner teaches his son (Will Smith's own son, Jaden Smith, is unbelievable as Christopher) should really be put into practice in all of our own.

” Don't ever let somebody tell you you can't do something. You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want something, go get it. Period. “

The story of how a guy who sells bone density scanners for a living gets an internship at a stock brokerage and emerges top of his class to become a broker, setting up his own firm in 6 years and selling it in a multimillion dollar deal 25 years later is something that everybody should wonder at. This was a guy who loses his wife who moves on to something better because she does not believe in him; gets evicted because he can't pay rent; moves into a motel and gets kicked out because he can't pay the bill; spends a night in the bathroom in the subway; spends a night in jail and attends his interview for the internship without a shirt; which leads to my most favorite dialogue in the movie -

Mr. Frohm: What would you say Chris, if a guy walks into the interviewer's office without a shirt? What would you say if the interviewer gave the guy the job?
Chris Gardner: I got to say sir, he must have been wearing some really nice pants.

It's a perfect father-son movie, let me tell you. The relationship Chris shares with his son Christopher is something to be admired and lauded. The part where Christopher touches his dad's face and says, "You're a good papa" underlines this point. The last scene, where they say knock-knock jokes to each other, is especially touching.
This movie is about determination. It's about the will to succeed . It's about the underdog. It's about how a guy can overcome all odds and go on to be somebody, just because he knew he had it in himself. It's about belief - belief that you can do something with your life; belief that you can prove your detractors wrong; belief that you can make it on your own.

Chris Gardner says “Thomas Jefferson mentions the pursuit of happiness in the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson was right. Happiness is something which one can only pursue, and can never acquire. “ Happiness isn't meant to be got. It's like you reach out to grab something and yet it's not there anymore. People have their own goals, their own definitions of happiness. But once you get there, what then? Does that mean you can never be happy again? Does that mean you can stay happy forever? Happiness is a myth. There's nobody in the world who can ever be truly happy, unless you achieve what you want

Which is why, in my opinion, you should set short term goals. Once you reach them, you are one step closer to becoming happy. You move on to your next goal. And so on and so forth. After which, once you reach your long-term goal, there you have it. THAT's when you are truly happy.

I love this movie and I love cinema. The beauty of it is that you get to think things over and come to conclusions after the movie's done. I decided upon a few from this one, and you?