THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS

Drama based on a true story

BACKGROUND
Rubik's Cube is a mechanical puzzle invented in 1974 by a Hungarian professor of architecture Ernő Rubik. Originally called the Magic Cube by its inventor, it was renamed Rubik's Cube when it made its international debut at the Toy Fairs of London, Paris, Nuremberg and New York in January/February, 1980. When the puzzle is solved, each side of the Cube is a solid colour. It is said to be the world's best-selling toy, with some 300,000,000 sold worldwide.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Will Smith: Chris Gardner, self-employed salesman of portable bone density scanners
Thandie Newton: his wife Linda
Jaden Smith: their 5-year-old son Christopher
Brian Howe: Jay Twistle, the head of the internship program at a stock brokerage firm
James Karen: one of the company executives Martin Frohm

REVIEW
Stories about people who struggle and make it are worthwhile subjects. But to drag it out for almost two hours takes away a lot of the sympathy one has for the person who’s doing the struggling. And then to sit through such a meagre “pay-off” only adds insult to injury. If it were not for the soaring full orchestra score most of us would have missed it.

One more thing: you really have to question the claim the film is based on a true story when it seems there is such blatant liberty taken with the truth in more than a few instances. For example,
 Chris having a down-and-out-hippie watch over his scanner
 what transpired when Chris set off to the meeting with his first real big potential client
 and what happened when they finally met
 spotting one of his “missing” scanners in a city of what, one million people?

CLASSIFICATION
for some language.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
Chris approachs the door to his son’s day care carrying one of the scanners in his left hand. When the scene shifts to the interior, he’s now holding it in his right.

I think San Franciso needs more cabs:
Chris and Jay share a ride in cab number 248; later when Mr. Frohm gets out a cab and asks Chris to lend him $5, once more it’s cab number 248.