Pursuit of Happyness

Theatrical Release Date: 2006 12 15 (USA)

UPC: 043396150850

Studio: Sony Pictures

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Adult Situations, Profanity]

Summary: The rousing, true-life story of a single dad who went from living on the streets to owning his own brokerage firm is brought to the big screen by superstar Will Smith, appearing for the first time opposite his real-life son Jaden Smith. Set in early-'80s San Francisco, the film charts the hard times and eventual comeback of Chris Gardner, a suddenly single salesman who has custody of his son, but finds that providing for the two of them is a challenge in the increasingly unstable economic climate. He struggles to work his way from unpaid intern at Dean Witter to something more substantial, even as life continues to offer him setbacks. Making his Hollywood debut, Italian director Gabriele Muccino was championed by Will Smith for the project. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Best Young Actor – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Actor – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – null Best Original Song – null Best Original Song – null Best Actor – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Male Youth Performance – Phoenix Film Critics Association Best Actor – Screen Actors Guild Best Picture – Black Reel Awards Best Breakthrough Performance – Black Reel Awards Best Actor – Black Reel Awards Best Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Original Song – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Original Song – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: Making Pursuit: An Italian Take on the American Dream
Father and Son: On Screen and Off
The Man Behind the Movie: A Conversation With Chris Gardner
Inside the Rubik's Cube
"I Can" song
Director's commentary by Gabriele Muccino

Pursuit of Happyness

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 03/27/2007

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 2.40:1

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 117 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- The Pursuit of Happyness
1. One Day at a Time [5:07]
2. Riding the Bus [4:12]
3. Two Questions [3:14]
4. Being Stupid [6:21]
5. Making Contacts [3:27]
6. Birthday Wishes [1:56]
7. Ride Share [3:47]
8. Cab Fare [5:23]
9. Go Get Happy [4:41]
10. Parking Tickets [3:02]
11. Big Interview [4:28]
12. Second Thought [2:28]
13. Linda Is Leaving [4:28]
14. Packing Up [3:04]
15. Taking Care [1:42]
16. Internship [4:45]
17. Beyond the Call [3:41]
18. Hot Lead [3:21]
19. Possibilities [5:29]
20. Paying Taxes [2:59]
21. The Time Machine [3:18]
22. Locked Out [2:25]
23. Safe Cave [1:00]
24. Four Spots Left [3:52]
25. Climbing Mountains [5:30]
26. Shining Light [7:21]
27. Change of Scenery [4:07]
28. Happyness [3:03]

Derek Armstrong

The trouble with most inspirational movies -- which often gets them reclassified as manipulative schlock -- is that their outcomes are too easily predicted. The Pursuit of Happyness goes about matters a little differently, telling its story in retrospect, after the happy ending has occurred -- thereby setting aside the charade of suspense. This lets Gabriele Muccino's film focus on the engrossing details of Chris Gardner's improbable journey, as well as Will Smith's Oscar-nominated performance -- making it a little like a Shakespearean play, where audiences are more interested in how a plot is interpreted than whether it contains surprises. One such engrossing detail is the most vividly used prop since Wilson the volleyball: the bulky x-ray devices Chris drags around like overgrown sewing machines, sometimes losing them, sometimes recovering them again, but always as duty bound to them as he is to his son. As both remnants of a financial miscue and his only potential source of income, they're perfect symbols for his hardscrabble San Francisco existence, which Muccino renders with both grittiness and sensitivity. Smith produces his greatest depth and range yet, his performance containing an ingenuity to match that of his determined character. But the actor's contributions also extend to his real-life son, Jaden. Some observers saw this casting choice as gimmicky, perhaps a fatal dose of the preciousness informing Smith's 1997 single "Just the Two of Us," an ode to his older son. But not only is Jaden incredibly cute, he's also a chip off the old block, natural and true. That The Pursuit of Happyness was a box-office success is no great surprise to anyone who's followed Will Smith's career. But that he earns it this time through earnest commitment to his craft, rather than a wink and a clever sound bite, is an outcome worth cheering. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Mark Clayman  Executive Producer 
Will Smith  Producer 
Todd Black  Producer 
Steve Tisch  Producer 
Louis D'Esposito  Executive Producer 
Andrea Guerra  Composer (Music Score) 
Jason Blumenthal  Producer 
James Lassiter  Producer 
Gabriele Muccino  Director 
Teddy Zee  Executive Producer 
Steven Conrad  Screenwriter 
David Alper  Executive Producer 
Will Smith  Actor 
Jaden Smith  Actor 
Thandie Newton  Actor 
Brian Howe  Actor 
James Karen  Actor 
Dan Castellaneta  Actor 
Kurt Fuller  Actor 
Takayo Fischer  Actor 
Kevin West  Actor 
George Cheung  Actor 
Michael Silverman  Actor 
Domenic Bove  Actor 
Geoff Callan  Actor 
Raven Joyful  Actor 
Scott Klace  Actor 
Rashida Clendening  Actor 
Eric Schniewind  Actor 
Peter Fitzsimmons  Actor 
Maurice Sherbanee  Actor 
Zuhair Haddad  Actor 
Victor Raider-Wexler  Actor 
Mark Christopher Lawrence  Actor 
Darryl Fong  Actor 
George Maguire  Actor 
Joseph A. Nuņez  Actor 
Adam Del Rio  Actor 
Rocky LaRochelle  Actor 
Erin Cahill  Actor 
Reuben Grundy  Actor 
Ming Lo  Actor 
John Kovacevich  Actor 
Bonnie Akimoto  Actor 
Stu Klitsner  Actor 
Esther Scott  Actor 
Tina D'Elia  Actor 
Rev. Cecil Williams  Actor 
David Fine  Actor 
George Moffatt  Actor 
Amir Talai  Actor 
Mike Garibaldi  Actor 
Jason Frazier  Actor 
Kevin Crook  Actor 
David Haines  Actor 
Jim Finnerty  Actor 
Abigail van Alyn  Actor 
Bob Greene  Actor 
Robert Anthony Peters  Actor 
Terri Orth-Pallavicini  Actor 
John Robb  Actor 
Daniel Wilder  Actor 
Cathy Fithian  Actor 
Keith Stevenson  Actor 
Jeff Applebaum  Actor 
Victor Hoagland  Actor 
Richard Bischoff  Actor 
Edward Donlin  Actor 
Larry Hunt  Actor 
Rose Aispuro  Actor 
Arbin C. Kumar  Actor 
The Glide Ensemble  Actor 
Jerry Edwards McLilly  Actor 
Shareef Allman  Actor 
Jeffrey Moon  Actor 
Peaches Hutchinson  Actor 
Brandon Dadwiler  Actor 
Tateanna Wheeler-Lezine  Actor 
Karen Kahn  Actor 

Country: USA