Setting

Time period

The film The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) directed by Gabriele Muccino is set in the year 1981. 

The time setting is very relevant to the narrative, because at the beginning of the 1980s, America was going through a period of severe economic recession, considered to be the worst since the recession brought about by World War II. This is briefly shown in the film in the form of President Reagan’s speech on television regarding the financial report (00:08:19-00:09:20). As a result of this recession, Chris struggles to meet his sales quota. The doctors who are his prospective clients are reluctant to invest in expensive medical equipment that does not offer many benefits, during such harsh economic times. 

The recession during the early 1980s was followed by a period of strong economic growth during the late 1980s. As a result of government measures that lowered taxes to increase consumer spending, the stock market climbed. Stockbroker companies such as Dean Witter would have greatly benefited from that. As a result, Chris’ decision to join a stockbroker firm was very inspired at that time, and it most likely paid off even more in the coming years. This is confirmed in the epilogue, when we are told that Chris was able to start his own...