The Pursuit Of Dollar Signs [Film Only] (The Pursuit Of Happyness (DVD))

Member Name: scream4bruce

Product:	The Pursuit Of Happyness (DVD)
Date:	01/05/09 (93 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fine acting - wise

Disadvantages: A mixed message, characters not well rounded

Understandably, there's barely a smile amongst the homeless but at the stockbrokers' it's as if it were a place without pressure - it's people wearing a smile to go along with their suits. Even those on unpaid internship, where only 1 in 20 make the grade - instead of showing any realistic signs of a struggle, it'd rather make a (sole) mockery of someone overlooking their test.

This feels more like the pursuit of money than it is of happiness. Actually throughout, happiness stares Chris right in the face with two eyes. But, say if this happiness was supposedly for his son Christopher, then the film shows that a parent leaving a child is not too huge a deal. The mother seems to be conveniently forgotten, but in one scene where Christopher mentions her, it's as if the blame is portioned onto her so that Chris comes blame-free so that we feel for him - whereas in truth he's just as responsible for theirs being in such a predicament.

As such, the film equates money with happiness. Not only do they spell this out for you in the epilogue, but ironically, the seemingly pointless scenes with Christopher and his lending of a fiver symbolises this somewhat.

Despite being close to 2 hours long, Christopher and his son's suffering did not seem a lengthy one. And it feels undermined when Chris speaks of the "cave" after a stay there - suggesting they were not fed up of sleeping in toilets, but also, by a light-hearted voice-over narrative, which'll have you deduce that the ending is a happy and predictable one. Also, as long as you're determined - insert chase/being chased scenes - then it's okay to put your own life at risk and your children through misery. Such determination brings about events which would take the focus off their troubles for long enough.

I haven't read the book (a true story) of which this is based on, but for sure I can't recommend the film.

Summary: The Pursuit of Happyness film