"The Pursuit of Happyness" w/ Will and Jaden Smith
 

Gardner Personifies Rags-to-Riches Story



It was just a movie set, but in a moment it showed Chris Gardner where he'd been - and how far he'd come.

There with actor Will Smith - who was playing Gardner, a former homeless man turned millionaire - Gardner stood in what looked like the train station bathroom where he once slept a quarter century ago.

Suddenly he was overcome with memories of teaching his 2-year-old son to never, ever open the locked bathroom door, no matter how hard someone pounded on the other side. It didn't matter that he now had three homes - one a condo in New York's Trump Tower - or that he'd gone from selling his own blood to buying Michael Jordan's car.

"I had to get out of there," he said.

The story of how the 52-year-old Gardner did just that, climbed out of homelessness and became a millionaire stockbroker with his own 15-employee Chicago firm, is being turned into a motion picture, due out in December. It's also the subject of Gardner's own just-released book, "The Pursuit of Happyness." The unique spelling of "happiness" is intentional.

Even in the realm of rags-to-riches tales, Gardner's story is unique. Take, for example, the events that led to his descent into homelessness.

A medical supplies salesman barely making enough money to support his girlfriend and baby, Gardner had one of those Hollywood moments in a San Francisco parking lot in 1981 when he spotted a man looking for a place to park his red Ferrari.

"I said to him, 'You can have my (parking) place but I've got to ask you two questions. What do you do and how do you do it?'" recalled Gardner.

The man was a stockbroker. Gardner didn't know a single stockbroker or even what one did. But the man said he made $80,000 a month - $50,000 more than Gardner made a year.

Gardner found a brokerage firm willing to hire him and quit his job. But when he showed up for work he learned the guy who'd hired him had been fired. Gardner's job was gone.

Then, days before a scheduled interview with Dean Witter, a loud fight with his girlfriend brought the police to his door. The next thing Gardner knew they were asking him for $1,200 to clear up some unpaid parking tickets.

They may as well have asked for $12 million. Gardner spent 10 days in jail.

When he was released, his girlfriend and son were gone. He had no money, no home and the only clothes he had for his job interview the next day were the ones he wore to jail.

How was he going to explain showing up wearing jeans and paint-splattered Adidas shoes?

"I couldn't think of nothing that could top the truth," he said. He went with that and got the job.

A few months later came a knock on the door of the boarding house where he was staying.

"It's my ex and, guess what, she doesn't want the baby any more, here." he said. "The boarding house does not allow children. That's how we became homeless."

I saw his story on 20/20. It was very inspiring. I can't wait to see the movie.

This story sounds farmiliar...does this guy now reside in Hawaii

I was thinking the same thing cause I remember that brother in Ebony or Essence. But I thought he owned a whole slew of ATMs.

Ok, that is the one I am thinking of..I think I read his story in Jet and yup he did own a slew of ATM's

Here is the link to the movie trailer: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/t...itofhappyness/

I saw him being interviewed on The View (which I don't watch anymore since they kicked my girl Star off), and he is a very smart man. I see how God can work in your life if you let him. However, his story isn't new. How many times have you seen your grandparents or your parents make 5 pieces of chicken feed 10 people, make a 3 room house fit cousins, aunts, uncles, the church family and whoever else on a daily basis, and always managed to put the fear of GOD in you when she heard you singing "When Doves Cry" by Prince. (Ok that last part refers to me, I digress) Black people have always made a way out of no way.

Comes out next Friday :cool:

Looks like it will be a really good movie

I'm looking forward to the movie. But I have to say that the book was awesome!! I just finished it and it was great. I definitely recommend it.

I'm actually going on a double date with my PARENTS to see this movie. I'm excited...more so about the movie, than the date, lol.

I won tickets for an advance screening tomorrow night. I look forward to seeing the film.

Enter contest to win a copy of the book

http://concreteloop.com/the-pursuit-...book-giveaway/

Good luck!

Can't wait to see the movie!!

Very good film. I did not shed a tear.
It was long, close to 2 hours.
Will did alot of running. :D

Yes, it was a really good movie, but it was a tear jerker for me. :o

Outstanding!!!!! Jaden is so cute, but the movie was incredibly uplifting. Just when it seems like you should give up, keep pressing your way. :cool:

It's on our list of movies to see while the daught is here for the holidays.

I am going to see Dreamgirls with mom and brother hopefully. It's our tradition to go see a movie Christmas Day.

I think you and your daughter will love it! It's #1 this weekend.:cool:

I got a chance to see it and it was a very good movie. Jaden was awesome -yes the story was uplifting and I shed a few tears- but he was super cute and completely made the movie for me.

I absolutely loved this movie...I went with a couple of girlfriends to relax after finals and it was such a tear jerker. Will was amazing and Jaden was so cute, I wanted to reach into the screen and take him home with me:)! I can't wait for this to come out on DVD...def. will be buying it!!!

I was really inspired by the movie. It really made me think. I've had some hard times in my life but my trials were nothing compared to his. I was feeling really down about alot of things but now I feel that I have absolutely no excuse to not achieve every goal that I set for myself(no matter what is going on in my life).

It was a fantastic movie. And I cried. Like a baby, lol. It was just so inspiring, it made me want to leave the theatre and go to my job and start cranking out numbers so that I can own the company, lol. Inspiration.

i enjoyed it but believe I overhyped it in my mind. I was a little let down. Jaden was cute. Will was impressive but I liked Thandi's role

Great movie!
 

The movie was phenomenal!

Mr. Gardner was a very tenacious brotha. I loved the fact that he had to keep his son. That was so inspirational! I got emotional when they offered him that job. I actually wanted to shout because God blessed him for sacrificing. Great, great movie!

I loved all the running in the movie. To me that was metaphorical that the race isn't given to the swift, but to the ones who endure the race. :)

Aight, CT4...you 'bouts to start somethin'!

Just saw the movie, it was so great. I definitely want to take my mom to see it again. Will and Jaden were fabulous. I was afraid that the sad parts would be too sad for me, but they were more tense than sad and effectively portrayed the constant anxiety of having no foundation for security. I'll have to buy this movie and watch it every time I feel llike complaining. I am curious about the wife (Thandie's character)...Talk about kicking yourself for the rest of your life. And then watching it in a feature film!

;) :D But you see it too, right?


I'm curious as well. That would suck to be her. Had she just stood by him just a little bit longer. Oh well, everything happens for a reason.:)

Plain as day. :)

I finally got a chance to see the movie yesterday, and it was definitely good, and this will be a purchase when the DVD comes out....all I'm saying is that dude did a lot of running, and I'm sorry, but who else laughed when he was hit by the car (not that part) but famn it the shoe...how did he loose his shoe and then not be able to find it?

delph998...girl I was right there with you...when they offered him that job I wanted to SCRAM.....YEAH, that's what I'm talking bout, and then I was like dude give him back his $5.:)

Chris Gardner has a 21 yr old daughter. I wonder who her mother is, and if she is still in the picture. I know that his ex-wife is sitting there like ain't this about a b*tch.

Nice:)


My boyfriend and I were talking about that. I chalk it up to "Fight or flight". Apparently she couldn't take it so she took off.
I liked the cameo Mr. Gardner had at the end.

^^ Me too! I loved it! It was very motivational for me at a time when I just needed a little push, a little focus, and a great example of determination. He got hit by a car and still stayed focused on his goal! LOL! Lost a shoe too!

I finally saw it. I almost started crying when the little boy's toy had to be left so that they could catch the bus. I couldn't decide who I felt worse for, the father knowing what he must have felt like to put his son through that and to lose the woman that he must have loved and to place his family in that position, or the little boy who must have been so confused and sad to go through that and to lose his mother. Great movie. So sad to know that it really happened. Of course, things like this do everyday. I guess we just don't think about them that often.

It scared me a little to see how close we all could be to losing the place that we live and having to be homeless - just a few bad circumstances compiled and there you go. Going back to saving more rigorously....

SC

Was Mr. Gardner's cameo when Will and Jaden were crossing the street to go down the hill at the end and an AA man came walking across the street in a brown suit?

Also, that's a very interesting observation about Thandie's role. I don't know that I could say that I would stay with a man who had lost our life savings, I'm working double shifts, we are two months late for rent and he is talking about he is about to stop what he is doing to be an intern. It may have seemed that his head was in the clouds a bit to her. It seemed like they had been going through hard times for awhile, at least since the son was born and he was five during the movie. I don't know. How long do you stick around? I guess till death do you part? I guess her book will be coming out soon.

SC

Yes that was him

When this happened in real life, the son was 2 years old instead of 5.

I was just about to post that the son was rally 2 years old when this happen. Chris Gardner stated that he decided to make the son older in the movie because there could be some good dialogue between the father and the son.

Ah, ok. Thanks,
SC