Summary

The film The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) directed by Gabriele Muccino opens with the main character, Chris taking his son, Christopher, to daycare. After dropping him off, Chris complains to the janitor about the misspelling in the graffiti on the wall. 

Chris tries to sell portable bone density scanners to doctors’ offices. These devices offer a slightly denser picture compared to X-ray machines. However, they are also very expensive, so most doctors do not think they are worth the cost. This is why Chris is not always successful in selling them. 

Chris asks his wife, Linda, to pick up Christopher from daycare so he can try to make more sales. She is not pleased, because she is already working double shifts at the laundry to make ends meet. 

Since parking is not allowed near hospitals, Chris has been receiving parking tickets. He cannot afford to pay them as he has not met his sales quota for a while, and he is behind on rent and taxes, too. 

One day, Chris sees a man in a suit come out of a red convertible and asks him what he does for a living. The man answers that he is a stockbroker. He tells Chris that to be a good stockbroker, one only needs social skills and to be good with numbers. Chris watches him enter a tall building, and notices everyone looks happy except for him.

Even if Linda disapproves of Chris’s decision to become a stockbroker, Chris visits a broker’s office, Dean Witter, to apply fo...