Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith , Thandiwe Newton, Brian Howe, Takayo Fischer
Directed by: Gabrielle Muccino
Genre: Family/ Drama
“No love is greater than that of a father to his son.”
-Dan Brown
Its the third Sunday of June so, I decided to raise a toast to all the lovely and amazing fathers out there . So, wishing all the fathers out there a very happy Father’s Day . You are your daughter’s first love and your son’s first hero. Thus, cheers for being an amazing human being. After all, it is not easy being a rock of the family. For those who might not have experienced the love of their fathers due to some or the other reason, I am sure there might be someone who might have played the role of a father figure in your life. Acknowledge their presence and make them feel valued and do thank them for the contribution they made to your lives. Not all father figures need to be defined by blood. Some are defined out of sheer respect as well .
Well, keeping the importance of the role fathers play in our lives, I decided to dedicate this month to the heroes who act as your constant source of strength and motivation. After all, just like mothers , even these heroes without capes need to be celebrated. Isn’t it? Hence, this week’s pick revolves around a father who tries to be a hero in the eyes of his son despite facing difficult times. This week’s pick celebrates the strength a father possesses for his family . This week recounts the amazing and emotional tale of Will Smith in the Pursuit Of Happyness.
Story line: The Pursuit Of Happyness is based on the real life story of Chris Gardner, who faced a lot of hardships and how he overcame them. Chris Gardner is a famous American businessman and a motivational speaker who struggled with tough times for nearly a year. He is a salesman who has invested his entire life savings in portable bone density scanners. The scanners help him to scrape by through his life but the time taken between the sales and the growing financial demands of the household creates tensions in his family. These tensions eventually leads to his wife leaving him to take care of their son alone. This is when Chris decides to take the biggest gamble of his life- to become a stock broker. But will his journey to be a stock broker be easy or will it end up as a failure? What are the challenges he faces in his journey to be a stock broker? Is he able to overcome them or will he put his and his son’s life in jeopardy?That is what forms the rest of the story.
Scrutiny: This is a movie which is pretty inspiring as well as heart-wrenching in nature. It highlights the length a father might go for his son . When you witness the struggles, Chris faces you just have one word in your mind- blessed. Blessed that you do have everything which we often tend to overlook and feel grateful about. Yet, a lot of times we are pretty complacent about life and tend to take things for granted which are a luxury to a lot of people. I literally had tears in my eyes but also a sense of pride for the resilience Chris showed. Maybe it is the power of hope which gives us the immense strength to fight our battles. The hope that the future will be bright and that our dreams can be a reality if we are willing to fight for it.
Will Smith shines as Chris and so does Thandiwe Newton who portrays the picture of an estranged wife. The movie also highlights one important fact- that while money might be just a piece of paper but it is also very crucial when it comes to running a household. It highlights how lack of money leads to problems in domestic life especially if children are involved because you need to take care of them as well until they are ready to stand on their own feet.
The Sentiment: A movie which pays tribute to all the struggles a father goes for his child, this one though an oldie will inspire you a lot. This one will also fill your heart with immense gratitude for the man that provides for your family without any complaints and yet does not crib for doing the same. So, do watch it for the struggle a father undergoes for his family but also for the life lessons it provides. Then maybe you will witness your life in a much different light. And this is a movie which if you need a dose of inspiration must be viewed again and again because then that might help to crib less about the hardships one faces in life. Also, do watch it for the beautiful relationship shared by a father with his son despite the tough times. That will move you as well as bring a huge smile on your face.
Rating : **** stars
Quote-Unquote: “You got a dream… you gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want something, go get it. ”
Que: How does Chris impress Jay Whittle?
a. By paying for his taxi fare
b. By wearing a new shirt
c. By topping the stock brokerage exam
d. By solving the Rubik’s cube
