Twenty-one Inspiring Movies for Entrepreneurs – Part 16

The Pursuit of Happyness

The Pursuit of Happyness is a 2006 American biographical drama film directed by Gabriele Muccino and starring Will Smith as Chris Gardner, a homeless salesman. Smith’s son Jaden Smith co-stars, making his film debut as Gardner’s son, Christopher Jr. The unusual spelling of the film’s title comes from a mural that Gardner sees on the wall outside the daycare facility his son attended. Gardner boards a train but loses one of his scanners in the process. He meets Jay Twistle, a lead manager and partner for Dean Witter Reynolds, and impresses him by solving a Rubik’s Cube during a taxi ride.

Gardner is ordered to spend the night in jail instead of going to work the next morning, complicating his schedule for an internship. Despite his appearance, he impresses the interviewers and lands an unpaid internship. Gardner’s unpaid internship does not please Linda, who eventually leaves for New York, because she might get a job at her sister’s boyfriend’s restaurant. The film’s epilogue reveals that Gardner went on to form his own multimillion-dollar brokerage firm.