After watching the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, I began to realize how important it is to never give up and always keep on trying. This movie is actually based off of a true story which made the movie even cooler to watch. The movie is set during the 80’s in San Francisco. It revolves around Chris Gardner, portrayed by Will Smith,  who spent his life savings on portable bone density scanners. Throughout the movie he’s seen going from doctor to doctor, attempting to sell at least two each month, while taking care of his five-year-old son Christopher Jr. who’s played by the young Jaden Smith. However, it’s not as easy as it seems, as Gardner is constantly rejected by doctors. With the difficulty of selling the machines each month, the constant financial demand begins to put a wall up between Chris and his wife Linda. Gardner eventually lands an internship with Dean Witter Reynolds to be a stockbroker. This immensely displeases Linda even more, which causes her to make a decision to move away to New York. This leaves Chris, a now single-dad, to take care of his son. Since they don’t have enough money to pay the rent of their house, they’re forced to move out. They end up staying in different places like a motel, a homeless shelter, and even a restroom at a BART (subway) station. In the end, Chris ends up getting the job at the company to be a stockbroker and ends up forming his very multimillion-dollar brokerage firm.

This movie shows the struggles that people face every day, and it taught me to never give up, no matter what the obstacle might be.

-Phoebe L.

The Pursuit of Happyness is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.