The Pursuit of Happyness

I'm sitting here literally blown away. My heart is beating 70 mph. There's a burning in my throat from holding back tears. The story of Chris Gardner as portrayed by Will Smith is the story of the year, the story of the last 25 years.

I felt the emotion, the pain. The struggles and the impossible situations. In 1981, Chris Gardner was selling Bone Synthesis Machines. That's close to what they're called anyway. He loses two of them during the movie. These machines that are going for $250, he is selling from doctor's office to doctor's office. They are his life blood. They pay his rent and buy his groceries. The first one he loses, he gets back after chasing a hippie lady and her boyfriend down the street and onto a bus. The second one he loses after ditching a cab driver because one of the Dean Witter bosses ditches him on the fare. The cab driver chases him down and he is forced to run to the train. Getting his hand caught in the door as he boards the train, he is forced to drop the machine and leave it behind. But, he spots it one day. Some old crazy guy is carrying it around thinking it's a time machine.

Here's a part of this story that is phenomenal. He gets the machine back and it's broken. But, he's broke and he has a kid. They're sleeping in a shelter and eating in the soup kitchen. Chris Gardner fixes this highly technical piece of machinery all by himself. He gives blood at a clinic for about $24. He buys an $8 light bulb for the machine. Then, he fixes the machine that night in hardly any light at all while everyone including his son is sound asleep. He sells the machine the next day and that night, they spend the night in a hotel with television and a nice personal shower. So, what? It was just a light bulb? Anyone else would have given up and thrown the hunk of junk away.

But, that's only a small portion of the story. Gardner is selling these machines while working as an intern in the Dean Witter Reynolds' training program. At first, while he has about six of these machines left, he's doing "alright" living in a hotel after he got evicted from his apartment. At least, he has a hotel room right? He takes Chris Jr. to daycare in the morning, shows up early for work, works faster and harder than anyone else because he has to leave before everyone else to get Chris Jr. out of daycare. He sells the machines on Saturdays toting his son around with him from doctor's office to doctor's office. As he sells the machines, he can feel himself start to breathe. He can feel life starting to lift. That is until the IRS reaches right into his savings account and takes all his money for back taxes.

That's why that one last machine is so significant. That one last machine is what it takes to get him out of the homeless shelter that they were forced to live in after the IRS left him broke with a child. You want to talk about some real non-caring criminals in this world? Nah, let's stay on topic.

On the last day of the training program, Gardner is called into the board room with four of the bosses. He sits down. It's make him or break him time. With everything that he has been through, with everything going on through his mind, this is literally make him or break him time. His boss tells him to show up the next day because he's got the job if he wants it. He doesn't stand up and dance around the room. He doesn't even crack a smile. And you, sitting there watching the movie, can feel it too. The pain hits his eyes and it's all he can do to stand up, shake everyone's hand and get out of that room before he has a nervous breakdown. That's the story. That's the story Will Smith tells.

Pay attention to the entire movie, it's more than a rags to riches tale. It's more of a story about a father and his son, a father who would do anything to make a life for his son. It's about a man who sees a chance, a small chance. And he's not afraid to put it all on the line to make that chance into an opportunity. It's a story that needs told today. With so many people making excuses, this is one of those stories that take all those excuses away. But, pay attention especially at the very end. You just might get a glimpse of the real Chris Gardner.

As a writer, I want to write awesome stories. I want to create the most intrigue and the most drama. I want to create emotional and uplifitng stories that change people's lives. I would be happy if I could just tell one great story one day. In the case of Chris Gardner, he created that story himself.

By the way, the story does address why "Happyness" is spelled with a "Y" instead of an "I" like it should be. Well, I'm just going to tell you it's one of those lighter moments in the story. This time in Chris Gardner's life is called "Happyness."