Structure

The film The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) directed by Gabriele Muccino tells the story of Chris Gardner, a salesman who successfully pursues a career as a stockbroker. The film has a chronological plot structure, following Chris’ journey from an unsuccessful salesman in financial difficulty to a stockbroker who can now provide for his family. The narrative can be split into a three-act structure. 

The first act serves as an introduction, and it presents Chris and his situation before he learned of the opportunity to become a stockbroker. We see him struggling to make a living and being mostly unsuccessful in selling his wares. Chris’ family – his wife Linda and son Christopher - are also introduced. Then, Chris meets a stockbroker by chance and realizes this would be his ideal job. This could be considered the film’s inciting incident.

In the second act, Chris begins to work towards this goal, and despite all the obstacles, he does not give up. At first, it seems that the setbacks only increase, culminating with Chris becoming broke and homeless. In the climax of the story, Chris and Christopher are turned away from the homeless shelter, and Chris only has enough money to buy them a train ticket so they spend the night on the subway. This is the lowest point of the story, as afterwards, there is an unexpected turnaround in their luck.

The third act represents a turning point in the story. Unexpectedly, all of Chris’ efforts begin to pay off. He gets the desired job and ...