The Pursuit of Happyness
This study guide will help you analyze the film The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) directed by Gabriele Muccino. You can also find a summary of the events, as well as inspiration for interpreting the film and putting it into perspective.
Presentation of the text
Gabriele Muccino is an Italian film director, writer, and producer. At the beginning of his career, he made short films in Italy. After the international success of his third film, The Last Kiss, he began directing movies for Hollywood. At the time when The Pursuit of Happyness was being filmed, Muccino did not speak English very well. Muccino won several awards throughout his film career, among them Torino International Festival for Best Film, the Audience Award Sundance Festival and three Nastro d’Argento Prizes, which are the Italian equivalent of the Oscars.
The film The Pursuit of Happyness is based on a best-selling memoir of the same name written by Chris Gardner, a salesman who struggled financially and was homeless for almost a year. The misspelling in the title is intentional, and it references graffiti that Gardner notices on the wall of his son’s daycare center. The film stars Will Smith in the main role, and his son, Jaden Smith, plays the part of Gardner’s son. Jaden Smith made his film debut in this film, at 8 years old.
The film was generally well received by the audience. The critics gave it moderately positive reviews, praising Will Smith’s acting as well as the touching nature of the story. Smith also received an Academy Award and a Golden Globe nomination for this role. The film was nominated for several awards, such as David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Film, and Capri Award for Movie of the Year, which it also won.
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