《The Pursuit of Happiness》 is a 2006 American biographical drama film, directed by Gabriele Muccino and based on the true story of Chris Gardner. The film stars Will Smith as Gardner, an on-and-off-homeless salesman-turned stockbroker.
In 1981, in San Francisco, the smart salesman and family man Chris Gardner invests the family savings in Osteo National bone-density scanners, an apparatus twice as expensive as an x-ray machine but with a slightly clearer image. This white elephant financially breaks the family, bringing troubles to his relationship with his wife Linda, who leaves him and moves to New York where she has received a job in a pizza parlor. She wishes to take their son Christopher with her, but Chris refuses because they both know that Linda will be unable to take care of him. Without money or a wife, but totally committed to his son Christopher, Chris sees the chance to fight for a stockbroker internship position at Dean Witter, offering a more promising career at the end of a six month unpaid training period. There are nineteen other candidates for the one position. Meanwhile, he encounters many challenges and difficulties, including a period of homelessness and troubles with the IRS.
男主人公克里斯·加德納是生活在舊金山的黑人男青年，靠做推銷員養(yǎng)著老婆還有幼子。克里斯從沒覺得日子過得很幸福，當(dāng)然也沒很痛苦，就跟美國千千萬普通男人一樣過著平淡的生活，直到有一天，一系列突如其來的變故才讓克里斯知道，原來平淡的日子有多珍貴。
首先，他丟了工作，公司裁員讓他丟了飯碗。克里斯從此遭遇了一連串重大打擊，妻子因忍受不了長期的貧困生活憤而出走，連六歲大的兒子也一同帶走。沒過多久，妻子又把兒子還給了克里斯，從此克里斯不僅要面對失業(yè)的困境，還要獨立撫養(yǎng)兒子。沒過多久，克里斯因長期欠交房租被房東趕出家門，帶著兒子流落街頭。在接下的兩三年中，這對苦命父子的住所從紙皮箱搬到公共衛(wèi)生間。克里斯堅強面對困境時刻打散工賺錢，同時也努力培養(yǎng)孩子樂觀面對困境的精神，父子倆日子雖苦，但還是能快樂生活。
一次，克里斯在停車場遇見一個開高級跑車的男人，克里斯問他做什么工作才能過上這樣的生活，那男人告訴他自己是做股票經(jīng)紀(jì)人的，克里斯從此就決定自己要做一個出色的股票經(jīng)紀(jì)人，和兒子過上好日子。完全沒有股票知識的克里斯靠著毅力在華爾街一家股票公司當(dāng)上學(xué)徒，頭腦靈活的他很快就掌握了股票市場的知識，隨后開上了自己的股票經(jīng)紀(jì)公司，最后成為百萬富翁。
一路上克里斯經(jīng)歷了不少挫折，但是年幼的兒子每次都能給予他最大的鼓勵，兩父子相互扶持最終完成了又一個美國夢。