The Pursuit of Happyness (2006): How do we define happiness?

Now I'm crying, questioning, and low-key reconsidering my life choices.

Happiness. A word that carries so much weight, yet it’s so difficult for me to define. If you asked me how many times I have questioned my happiness, I would say countless times—what it means, how I measure it, and why it sometimes feels so far away despite my best efforts. Watching The Pursuit of Happyness brought those thoughts back to the surface. This is not just an ordinary early 2000’s comfort film about success or overcoming hardship—it’s about the quiet, relentless pursuit of something deeply human. Perhaps the desire to feel whole, secure, and at peace.

“It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that?

- Christopher Gardner, The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

The film opens with Chris, played by Will Smith, in a reality that feels heavy and relentless. He’s fighting every odds to build a better life for himself and his son, but every effort seems to lead to another dead end. His sales job isn’t bringing in enough money, his relationship with his wife is falling apart under the weight of financial stress, and every day feels like an uphill climb. Yet, even in those moments of raw vulnerability, there’s a fire in him—a quiet but unshakable determination to keep going.

When Chris takes on an unpaid internship at a brokerage firm, it feels less like an opportunity and more like a leap of blind faith. The odds are stacked against him—long hours, no income, sleepless nights—but he doesn’t let those odds break him. He doesn’t complain about the unfairness of it all or crumble under the weight of his exhaustion. Instead he leans into his determination and keeps showing up, day after day, until eventually, that persistence pays off.

“You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period.”

- Christopher Gardner, The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)