The Pursuit of Happyness Blu-ray delivers stunning video and great audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
Inspired by a true story, Chris Gardner (Will Smith) is a bright and talented, but marginally employed salesman.
Struggling to make ends meet, Gardner finds himself and his five year old son evicted from their San Francisco
apartment with nowhere to go. When Gardner lands an internship at a prestigious stock brokerage firm, he and
his son endure many hardships, including being homeless and living in shelters, in pursuit of his dream of a
better life for the two of them.
Don't ever let someone tell you you can't do something...you got a dream, you
got to protect
it.
People can't to do something themselves, they want to tell you you can't do it.
You want
something, go get it, period.
More often than not, it's when art imitates life that we see some of the best
movies emerge from
Hollywood. While a
departure from reality brings us films like Star Wars or the Lord of the
Rings
trilogy, it's when those truly inspirational, real-life success stories work their way
into a simple,
elegant, and heartwarming tale that the world of motion pictures really shines.
One such fine
example is The Pursuit of Happyness, a 2006 drama starring Will Smith
(Independence
Day)
and
his son, Jaden, who also happens to portray Smith's character's son, Chris Jr., in
the film. Based
on the
real-life rags-to-riches tale of Chris Gardner, The Pursuit of Happyness
(the film's title
derived
from not only the words of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, but also on the
misspelling of
the word "happiness" outside of a Chinatown day care seen in the film) serves as
an often
poignant but
ultimately feel-good reminder of just how powerful a tool the qualities of
determination, hard
work, and perseverance can be, regardless of your current place in life.
Every dollar is another day in 'The Pursuit of Happyness.'
Chris Gardner (Will Smith), his wife Linda (Thandie Newton, Norbit),
and his son
Christopher (Jaden Smith) are struggling to get by in 1981 San Francisco. Linda
works double
shifts at a minimum-wage job while Chris is desperately trying to sell off the last
of a batch of
portable bone density scanners, a scheme that's seemed to bring about more bad
than good in
the Gardner household. When Chris bumps into a businessman driving a red
sports car, he
quizzes the man as to what he does. It turns out he's a stock broker, and Chris
learns from him
that being good with numbers, and not necessarily a college education, can land
you a job at a
brokerage. A newly determined Chris manages to impress Mr. Jay Twistle (Brian
Howe, RV) and
his
associates enough to earn
him an opportunity to work at Dean Witter, despite a final interview where Chris is
dressed like a
"garbage man." Chris' wife scoffs at this move that she considers backwards and
leaves her
husband and son for a new job in New York. Nevertheless, Chris and Chris Jr.
wrestle with poverty
while prospective scanner sales dwindle, money runs low, and the internship
proves highly
demanding of Chris' time and attention. For Chris Gardner, every minute is a
struggle for
survival, and his future depends on his success in balancing and overcoming every
obstacle life
throws his way.
I have no problem in admitting that I was deeply moved by The Pursuit of
Happyness.
There seems to be an overriding criticism of this film, however, that it portrays
money as some
kind of cure-all for all that ails us. I don't see this as the theme of the story.
While finances (or
lack thereof) is undoubtedly one of the overriding problems Chris and his son face
in this film, it is
by no means seen as the ultimate objective. Instead, I saw The Pursuit of
Happyness as showcasing the pursuit of success through sheer will, whereby
one can rise or
fall in life through the decisions they make, the honesty through which they
conduct themselves
and their affairs, and the determination to not accept anything less than striving
for what you
know to be the place where you belong in the world. I'm reminded of the famous
quote from
Field of Dreams that says, "if you build it, they will come." Indeed, Chris
Gardner never
said no, never turned away in despair, and forcefully fought for the chance to
succeed. It's only a very select few to whom the riches of life are bestowed
through anything less than hard work; for the rest of us, we reap what we sow, we
receive what comes to us after we build, and The Pursuit of Happyness is
more about the importance of sowing rather than reaping.
The Pursuit of Happyness isn't without a few issues that might have so
severely hindered
a lesser film that they would reduce it to sappy and silly tripe. Chris' on-screen life often seems
as though it is composed of cinematic conveniences, his luck oftentimes changing for the worst
so as to place him as far into the
dumps and depths of
despair as possible. Then, and only then, can a flicker of hope be seen that allows
Chris to inch
closer back out of the hole. Fortunately, the film is written and acted in such a
way as to allow
audiences to overlook these conveniences and get lost in the amazing tale of Chris
Gardner. How
many of these contrivances and conveniences are real and how many are fictional
for the sake of
the film's dramatic effect I do not know, but I am interested in finding this answer
out (and for
those of you who, like me, would like to know more about the real-life story of
Chris Gardner, you
can learn more about him here). Another problem the
film has is its
sheer predictability. Even
without knowing the real-life story of Chris Gardner, I knew the film would end
with a healthy
dose of "happyness." I truly hope that is not giving the film away for anyone, and
unless The
Pursuit of Happyness will be only the eighth or ninth movie you've ever seen,
you should
have
a fairly good idea of just how it will end. Nevertheless, so engaging is Chris' story
and so
wonderful are the performances from both Smith and his son (the elder nominated
for a best actor
Oscar for this part, and I am surprised to see the film wasn't nominated for more
awards
including best director, best editing, best original score, and perhaps even best
picture, among
others) that such generally fatal flaws can easily be overlooked in favor of the
power of the film's
story and the enjoyment that is the pursuit of going on Chris' journey alongside
him, a journey
that will likely leave you "happi" for having experienced it.
The Pursuit of Happyness shouldn't leave any Blu-ray fans feeling
anything but happy
after
watching this wonderful 1080p, 2.40:1-framed transfer. This is a pleasing,
realistic-in-appearance, high-quality transfer. Colors are rich and eye-popping
with every shade in
the book
present and accounted for somewhere in the movie. Every color is vibrant and
lifelike, from the
many shots of the city (both out wide and up-close), to graffiti on the walls, to the
colors of the
various building facades in Chinatown, to the clothing worn by the characters
(notably those
of Chris Jr). Once again, Sony has refused the temptation to wipe grain from the
transfer, and
this transfer
retains all of it. It's not a heavy grain presence, but it is visible through much of
the movie, and
it adds an authentic cinematic experience to the transfer. The image is sharp and
clear with very
few soft edges. Detail is remarkable; all of those objects that sported excellent
colors look equally
remarkable from a detail perspective. Dirt and nicks on the walls, clothing, the
street, and every
other object that fills the frame looks so real that I often thought I might easily reach through
the screen to touch all of it. I noted a few rather large, split-second white blocks on a
few frames,
but otherwise, the print is in pristine condition. Black levels and flesh tones are
both equally
impressive. The Pursuit of Happyness is another in a long line of excellent
transfers from
Sony, and while it alone is not worth purchasing the disc for, it sure does make
the experience of
watching this film on Blu-ray all the better.
Boasting a wonderful PCM 5.1 uncompressed soundtrack that is the perfect
compliment to this
film,
The Pursuit of Happyness' audio mix makes enjoying the journey of Chris
Gardner all the more
engaging. As good as most Blu-ray discs look, I still find myself enamored by the
wonderfully
pure and high quality lossless or uncompressed soundtracks that accompany
them, and this disc's
mix is no exception. The theme that plays over the credits is a simple one, yet I
could not help
but smile, not only because I enjoyed the music, but because it sounds so
perfectly natural and
cinematic. I know I refer to that feeling quite a bit, but for me, that's the number
one selling
point of Blu-ray, recreating the cinema experience in your home, and lossless
audio does just
that. The Pursuit of Happyness is a dialogue-driven film at heart, and
reproduction of
that aspect of this mix is perfect. Atmospherics are wonderful when called upon;
a rain storm in
chapter five offers fine rear channel presence, enveloping the viewer in the
moment, a sad
moment in the film that is markedly improved by the rain and the mood it helps
to define.
Another pleasing sonic moment comes in chapter 14 as Chris and his son find
themselves
listening to a church choir surrounded by praising worshipers. This mix is
decidedly front-heavy,
but the movie it accompanies is a drama, not a war or action film, so taking into
consideration
the genre
and the subject material, this audio track is a winner, one that creates just the
right mood for
the film, and it shines on Blu-ray.
The Pursuit of Happyness shouldn't leave many Blu-ray fans with a frown
as the disc
comes
loaded with some nice extra content. Leading things off is a feature-length
commentary track by
director Gabriele Muccino. With a thick Italian accent, Muccino's is a pleasing
voice to listen to.
He
provides some wonderful insight into his selection as the film's director, working
with the
legendary
Will Smith as well as his son, whom he refers to as the movie's "secret weapon."
There is nary a
moment of extended dead air and despite his incomplete grasp of the English
language, Muccino's
track is one of the better I've heard. Making Pursuit: An Italian Take on the
American
Dream (1080p, 17:36) is a nice compliment to the director's commentary
track, taking us
further behind-the-scenes into the Italian director earning the privilege of
directing the film as
well
as the directorial process itself.
Father and Son -- On Screen and Off (1080p, 7:30) takes a look at the
involvement of
Smith's son, Jaden, in the film. Unfortunately, much of this information feels a
bit repetitive, but
it's a nice little feature nevertheless. The Man Behind the Movie: A
Conversation With Chris
Gardner (1080p, 13:02) is perhaps the best feature on the disc, a chat with
the film's real-life inspiration, Chris Gardner, along with Will Smith and various
crew members.
Inside the
Rubik's® Cube (1080p, 6:44) is a short look at one of the film's key plot
devices, the famed
toy from the 1980s. Finally, a musical performance entitled I Can
(1080p, 5:10),
performed by Bebe Winans and Dave Koz, and 1080p trailers for Casino
Royale, Rocky
Balboa, The
Holiday, Stranger Than
Fiction, Hitch, Gridiron
Gang, and
Stomp the
Yard
conclude this disc's special features.
The feel-good movie represents one of my favorite genres, and The Pursuit of
Happyness is
another in a storied heritage of such films, including the classics like Rocky
and Field of
Dreams. I cannot think of a better "rainy day" movie than this one, so
uplifting and
inspirational is its story that even the hardest, most depressed situation or
individual
outlook on life
might just look a bit rosier after watching the film. Although it may not have the
replay value of an Independence
Day or
other classic action extravaganzas, I believe this is a movie
with timeless values and appeal that will hold up well for years to come. With its
excellent picture
quality, fine audio presentation, and a handful of solid supplements (although a
commentary track
with Chris Gardner would have been wonderful), The Pursuit of
Happyness is well worth adding to your collection. Highly recommended.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) today announced that the blockbuster Bond title Casino Royale, released March 13 on Blu-ray Disc, has hit the 100,000 units shipped mark and is setting records at retail for greatest number of high-definition copies sold ...
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