A 2006 Will Smith movie based on an emotional true story has been credited for changing viewers’ perspectives on life.
Those of us who secretly love a therapeutic cry to a well-crafted movie should be rushing to add this to our watch lists.
Smith stars as Chris Gardner, a medical device salesman who ends up homeless after a series of unlucky events. His dire financial situation puts strain on his marriage, resulting in his wife leaving him to singlehandedly raise their almost five-year-old son – played by an eight-year-old Jaden Smith.
Chris lands a highly-competitive – but unpaid – internship at a stockbrokers, fighting against others for a permanent position. He’s forced to live out of subway station restrooms with his son, even selling his own blood to help make ends meet.
Will and Jaden Smith star as father and son in the 2006 flick (Columbia Pictures)
The movie, called The Pursuit of Happyness, is based on the best-selling memoir of the same name written by the real Chris Gardner and Quincy Troupe.
It might have released 18 years ago, but the emotional weight of the movie has withstood the test of time and fans are still taking to social media to heap praise of the movie to this day.
If anything, viewers reckon the movie is more poignant the older you get – so consider yourself warned!
Taking to Twitter, one user shared an emotional fan edit video, writing: “This movie changed my perspective on life fr.” The post has been viewed some 6.9 million times since, with plenty of movie fans in agreement.
One responded: “I watched this movie 4 times, it’s meaningful. ‘You’ve got a dream… You gotta protect it. People can’t do somethin’ themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want somethin’, go get it. Period’.”
A second hailed it ‘one of the greatest movies ever,’ as a third wrote: “This movie will always have me bawling my eyes out.”
Another admitted: “I need a good cry. I wanna rewatch this”
This movie changed my perspective on life fr pic.twitter.com/2BljvS2KQW
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) November 4, 2024
Chris’ dedication to shielding his son from the gritty realities of poverty particularly stayed with viewers. One fan explained: “The appalling scene with homeless Chris and his son forced to spend the night in a station toilet had me sobbing uncontrollably as it brutally shows father’s despair.
“However, those heartbreaking moments that tug at heartstrings are masterfully balanced by the director’s portrayal of Chris’s determination and devotion to his son, which is truly inspiring.”
The Pursuit of Happyness is available to rent now on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.