Hello and welcome back to Kat’s Catalog. Here I will be sharing films I conceived into a list of the top films from multiple sources recommended for people to watch while they are in their twenties. Since I am freshly in my twenties and studying film, I wanted to delve deeper into these films and explain my take on each of them. Please be aware that there are spoilers integrated into this post.
The third film I will be discussing is Columbia Pictures’ and Sony Pictures’ film The Pursuit of Happyness. Released in 2006 and with a budget of 55 million USD, The Pursuit of Happyness was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for Will Smith who went up against Leonardo Dicaprio in Blood Diamond and Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson. Forest Whitaker ultimately won the Academy Award for his performance in The Last King of Scotland. The Pursuit of Happyness was also nominated for two Critics Choice Awards for Best Actor for Will Smith and Best Young Actor for Jaden Smith.
The director, Gabriele Muccino, also directed Seven Pounds (2008) and The Last Kiss (2001). Muccino decided to take on the project of The Pursuit of Happyness because he believes that Americans cannot fully grasp the idea behind the “American Dream” and that people need to be foreigners to do so. This perspective Muccino has is part of what drew Will Smith and film producer James Lassiter to bring him onto the project of this film. Smith states, “I had watched Gabriele’s last two Italian films and was really attracted to the intricate nature of emotions he was able to understand and depict cinematically.” Muccino understood that this film could reach people all over the world because he knew that the storyline that this film follows could happen to anyone.
The Pursuit of Happyness is based on a true story. It tells the life of Chris Gardner who was a self-made salesman-turned-stockbroker-turned philanthropist. When he was struggling to pay bills, he turned to his sales skills and attempted to sell medical equipment. While selling this medical equipment, Gardner met Bob Bridges, a broker who took him under his wing and helped him eventually land a position in E.F. Hutton’s training program. Gardner then continues to work hard while facing difficulties such as racking up parking tickets, his girlfriend leaving him, and gaining custody of his son while having very little income.
In comparison to my last blog post, The Pursuit of Happyness is a more straightforward film and that is why I would recommend twenty-year-olds to watch this movie when they want to be inspired. The main takeaway from this film is that one must work hard in order to achieve their goals. Throughout the film, the audience sees Gardner use streetlights to study the text for his internship, sleep in a subway bathroom with his son, and even become homeless for a good portion of the story. However, there are two themes that I noticed that are important to mention and focus on: chase success relentlessly and protect your dream.
Society has a way of pushing young people who are just entering the workforce that they have to become successful, but their definition of success would typically be one where they are making above a six-figure salary, owning a big house, a nice car, and they have the ability to take a vacation wherever and whenever they want. However, this movie puts into perspective that the definition of triumph may have all of those things, but it also has to do with seeing one’s hard work pay off, especially when it comes to doing something completely new. Success could be arguably doing something that scares you which has the potential to become something big without there being a guarantee of it being profitable. The Pursuit of Happyness showcases this through Gardner’s persistence and how he faces every setback head-on. He found his grounding for why he wanted to be prosperous, which was his son, Christopher. Finding a reason to chase triumph relentlessly will keep you going as well as fighting for something beyond yourself. It becomes another reason for motivation.
Protecting your dreams is a key part of being successful. Gardner’s persistence in working towards his goals is seen throughout the entirety of the film. Gardner knew he was made for something bigger than what he was doing as a salesman, which helped him get in the rooms he needed to be in. When working towards one’s dream, many people will try to discourage you, especially if it is one that is not typically seen or they see it as being nearly impossible to make a lot of money in. However, when you have a dream and there is something that is just telling you to push a little harder for a little longer, you need to listen to that voice because there is a reason for you to be hearing that. Gardner’s story tells the audience that taking steps in some direction is better than staying in the same place because there is no way for you to grow if you do not seek change.
The last thing I would like to leave my readers with is this quote from Chris Gardner:
“Don’t just talk that talk, walk it and go forward. Also, the walk didn’t have to be long strides; baby steps counted too. Go Forward.”
Katharine Svehla – Asst. Managing Editor, Prose Editor, Art & Design Editor, Layout Editor & Blogger: Katharine is a Junior at Lewis University. She is majoring in English with a concentration in General Writing and minoring in film studies. In addition to her academic pursuits, she is on the Lewis Women’s Bowling team and loves to work out, read, watch movies, and write contemporary fiction. After graduation, she hopes to get her master’s degree and aspires to find her place in the film industry and publish personal works. Some of her favorite authors include Markus Zusak, Michael Chrichton, and Alexandra Bracken.