“Pursuit of Happyness”

Here’s a helpful tip: If you’ve ever seen a movie “based on a true story” and loved it, don’t, whatever you do, read the book that tells the true story.

The Pursuit of Happyness was one of my favorite movies of all time. I loved Chris Gardner, played by Will Smith. He was a devoted dad, a hard worker, and surmounted insurmountable trial after insurmountable trial, ultimately becoming an incredibly successful man.

THEN, I read Chris Gardner’s autobiography, The Pursuit of Happyness, and watched as Chris Gardner quickly fell from the pedestal the movie had placed him upon.

To be fair, Gardner had a horrible childhood. One wouldn’t hold out much hope for a person like him ever succeeding in life, much less becoming a self made millionaire as an adult. And, he truly did have a hard time while living in San Francisco as a homeless single father trying to become a stock broker. But his hard time was mostly self inflicted based on bad (and sometimes downright sleazy) choices. Plus, his challenges were not NEARLY as difficult as the challenges the Chris Gardner in the movie faces.

The movie has you rooting for Gardner right from the start. You’re so hooked that every fall he takes becomes a crushing defeat for you, personally (as well as everyone you’re watching the movie with). The movie is exhausting, as you go from elation at a small advance to despair at how far back Gardner continues to be set. When he finally succeeds in the end, you breathe a HUGE sigh of relief and even feel like cheering!

So…watch the movie, but keep it in perspective. And don’t read the book. Unless you’re dying to know the true story, as I was.