11.5.07
The Pursuit of Happyness.
It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking, how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and can actually never have. No matter what. How did he know that?
An incredibly witty voiceover, convincing enough for me to believe it rings real in the minds of those down and out in the streets of San Francisco.
Of course, the show was no tragedy. The lead, played by Will Smith, is one of the thousands of people who has emerged from that debilitating thought, who has broken out of the poverty cycle, who has truimphed over the darkness that clouded his life. Based on a true story, Christopher Gardner, did achieve his happiness in the end, after enduring the great pains of pursuit.
But what truly made the movie nothing short of heartwarming and inspiring? I would say that it was the way the filmographers portrayed Gardner's deteriorating marriage, his single-handed parenting, and his unpredictable career detours. They were juggled with such great dexterity, one could feel the real despair in his situation. His 5 year old kid, also added much charm and dimension to the film. I loved the part where Gardner spoke to his son at the basketball court, telling him in all fatherly figure fashion, 'Don't ever let someone tell you, you can't do something. Not even me.' This admirable parenting quality, where a father fights to safeguard and keep intact the bond he has with his child, is so rare nowadays.
There were lighthearted moments too, which evicted chuckles. Here's one.
CEO: What would you say if man walked in here with no shirt, and I hired him? What would you say?
Gardner: He must have had on some really nice pants.
:)
Ultimately, what's most striking about the film is that it does not seek blame or create unfounded obstacles for the character - particularly racial ones - instead enabling Chris' triumph as a personal one unencumbered by social or political context. To put it more precisely, the film wasn't a story of a black man learning how to succeed in a white world, or a poor person becoming rich, but the achievement of one man who looked past the litany of obstacles to which he could have easily surrendered.
And that's exactly what the pursuit of happyness is all about - setting goals and accomplishing them, proper spelling be damned.
--
You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves, they wanna tell you that you can't do it. You want something? Go get it. Period.
i fluttered by;
5:01 PM
