FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: The Pursuit Of Happyness [DVD] [2006]

The Pursuit Of Happyness [DVD] [2006]
enlarge	Director: Gabriele Muccino Actors: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Dan Castellaneta, Thandie Newton, Brian Howe Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Category: DVD List Price: ~~£19.99~~ Buy Used: £1.19 as of 21/11/2009 04:58 GMT details You Save: £18.80 (94%) New (33) Used (63) Collectible (2) from £1.19 Seller: nicki3722 Rating: 64 reviews Sales Rank: 2262 Format: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL Languages: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), English (Original Language), Spanish (Dubbed) Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over Region: 2 Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 113 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5035822198036 ASIN: B000O59B42 Theatrical Release Date: 2006 Release Date: May 14, 2007 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review A heartwarming film that demonstrates how good, hard-working people can become homeless almost overnight, iPursuit of Happyness/i is a tour-de-force showcase for Will Smith, who convincingly portrays a down-and-out dad trying to better his family's life. Smith, who usually is cast in effortlessly boyish roles (iMen in Black, Independence Day/i), is wonderful in the film--even in the scenes that shamelessly tug at viewers' heartstrings. Based on the true-life story of Chris Gardner, a San Francisco salesman forced at times to shelter his young son (played by Smith's adorable look-alike offspring Jaden Smith) in a men's room, there is little suspense to the film in terms of Chris' outcome. (His story and eventual success a successful and wealthy Chicago businessman was well-publicized on the newsmagazine show i20/20/i.) And let's face it, Hollywood's not too keen on making feel-good movies with unhappy endings.p The beauty (and suspense, to a certain extent) of this film is in the way the story is told. Though he is constantly rushing around to get to appointments and pick up his child, things do not happen quickly for Chris. When he accepts an internship with a prestigious stock brokerage firm, there's a catch: The position is unpaid, suitable more for trust-fund children than single parents with no other source of income. In many scenes, the viewer panics along with Chris, wondering how he's going to feed his child. While Smith and his son, Jaden, share many tender moments together, Thandie Newton has the thankless role of playing Chris' shrill wife, who deserts her family early in the film. It's not a particularly challenging part for the talented actress, and her departure doesn't impact the storyline much at all. As for the movie's misspelled title, it's inspired from a scene in the film. (Seeing a mural drawn by the children at a daycare center, Chris points out to the proprietor that "happiness" is spelled incorrectly. She notes that it doesn't matter how the word is written--just that the kids have it.) With iPursuit of Happyness/i, Smith has come out of his safety zone and, in turn, ends up playing his most heroic role to date. i--Jae-Ha Kim/i

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 64 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...13 Next » Heartwarming and uplifting film on potential January 24, 2008 pepemia (scotland) 25 out of 27 found this review helpful This movie is great for affirming the belief that anything is possable if you try hard enough.The casting is magical and if you like Will Smith ( who is great for this part )then wait till you see his hugely talented, even cuter son Jaden.Part of the believabilty and heart of this movie comes from the interaction between the father and son roles- echoing the charachter Chris Garners bond with his son. Garners remarkable story is heartbreaking and gripping but full of hope. br /Garner struggles in almost hopeless circumstances- one parent father, uneducated, total poverty and yet still manages to realise his dream- and potential- through a huge leap of faith. At some parts in the film you will be reduced to tears and despair as things go from bed to worse to dire.Gardners seems to be losing his fight to have a better life for his son while reduced to sleeping in toilets and shelters. br /This film really shows a mans struggle to better himself in gritty realism and the beautiful bond that exists between father and son .Through the storyline Garners and his son go on a journey but by the beautiful acting the viewer goes thers too. One to definately watch if you want to inspire yourself or remind yourself that the world can be a good place. I hope to see a lot more of Jaden Smith to as he steals every scene. True life story - what more do you need. May 19, 2007 D. Gore (North West Lancashire) 6 out of 6 found this review helpful It's all very well sitting in the comfort of your own home, nice and warm with your central heating keeping you cosy and knowing you only have to open your refrigerator door to get a tasty snack and to go on-line via your PC or laptop to complain about how dissapointed your were with this film, because of X, Y or Z. br / br /The fact is that critics are picking holes in this film just for the sake of it. Maybe it's because "it's the guy from Men In Black" or just to seem hip and with it to criticise this film. Well, ignore all that - This is a true life story, brought stunningly to life by Will Smith in his strongest performance yet. Stop for one moment, ignore all your creature comforts and actually realise that there ARE people out there struggling to survive. br / br /The run of bad luck that Chris Gardner encountered is very indicative of life today, let alone in the 80's. His constant struggle to survive, fueled by his indefitagable determination to protect his Son grabs at your heart strings culmininating in you sharing his unbridled joy and utter relief when his mammoth effort to succeed finally pays off. br / br /This film brought more than a tear to my eye and gave me hope that sometimes in this life you get what you deserve. br / br /I applaud Will Smith for his role in, what is, an excellent film and a very humbling reminder that you should be thankful for what you've got. Pursuit of happyness August 27, 2007 Spider Monkey (UK) 5 out of 5 found this review helpful This is another fine performance from Will Smith, who plays Chris snr. I tend to feel that after his performance in Ali, he only seems to be getting better. This has some really touching on-screen moments with his son (which are all the more poignant knowing it's Smiths real son) and shows how far a man will go to provide and care for his family. You feel his frustrations as he faces each new setback with strength and determination and you feel yourself rooting for him the whole film. The relationship between Chris snr and his wife are hard to watch as you see their marriage breakdown and unless you've been in that kind of situation I guess you'll never know how hard it can be. This film also has some lighter moments that will raise a smile and I have to say it is a film i enjoyed way more than I expected to and would recommend to anyone out there. Give it a go and judge for yourself. Heart-wrenching December 28, 2007 O. Doyle (Ireland) 17 out of 20 found this review helpful I'll admit that I'm not a Will Smith fan at all and only picked this movie up as I'd see practically everything else in the video-store. I was more than a little surprised therefore to find that I actually enjoyed The Pursuit of Happyness. br / br /The synopsis is clear-cut so there's no need for me to rehash it. What I will stay is that Will Smith came into his own in this movie. Up until now he's played the clichéd cocky, kick-ass good-guy (Bad Boys, Men in Black, Independence Day) but in The Pursuit of Happyness he took on a role a million miles away from what we're used to seeing him in. It's an emotional, roller-coaster of a movie that needed an amazing performance by somebody to make it believable......Will Smith gave that performance.....I'd even go so far as to say it was the performance of a lifetime for him. He is the central character in this movie so he pretty much had to carry the can alone....and carry the can he did. I should mention however that Will's son Jaden has a great career ahead of him if his performance is anything to go by. br / br /This is a heart-breaking movie of one mans struggle to provide for his son which sees a proud man loose it all and have to depend on the charity of others to survive. Alone one man could survive....with a child in tow it's 100 times harder. The Pursuit of Happyness makes you thankful for what you've got by showing you how easy it is to loose it all. A fantastic movie with a fantastic cast and an amazing performance by Will Smith. br / It's not easy to climb up the social ladder April 6, 2007 Classic Movie watcher 8 out of 9 found this review helpful br /It's nice to see Will Smith taking such a serious role, for a change, and execute it so well. I have heard my friends praising Jaden Smith's performance. Yet it's the story and Will Smith that grabbed my attention. br / br /It's sometimes uneasy to see how Chris made ends meet in the movie and he did it all for his son. The good work of charity organizations, the people who responded to his phone calls and bought his scanners helped. (I begin to think of all those promotion phone calls I turned down.) Chris's sheer determination, perseverance and guts to survive his 6-month internship were again not an easy act to follow. It took every bit of his intelligence to pull it off. This is a feel good movie to make us reflect how much we already have; how a little help can make a big difference to others' lives. A thought provoking movie indeed. br / Showing reviews 1-5 of 64 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...13 Next »

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