Will Smith’s Greatest Drama Will Soon Stream On Netflix
Will Smith's best biopic performance in The Pursuit of Happyness will be available to stream on Netflix on February 1st.
Back before the slap turned Will Smith’s career upside down, he was regarded as one of the best actors in the world, especially for his biopic roles. One of his greatest biopic roles happens to be when he portrayed Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness, which will be available to stream on February 1. The film follows the life of Gardner, who was homeless while taking care of his son in the 1980s, all while attempting to become a stockbroker.
The Pursuit of Happyness was released in 2006 and made a staggering $307.1 million against a budget of $55 million. Oddly enough, critics didn’t seem all too thrilled about this Will Smith drama, as it currently holds a 67 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, audiences made it more of a hit, as it holds a much more impressive 87 percent audience approval rating.
The Pursuit of Happyness follows Chris Gardner (Will Smith), who is struggling to make ends meet after he sinks his life savings into portable bone density scanners, which are meant to be far easier to use than X-ray machines. However, Chris cannot sell them fast enough, leaving him, his wife, and his young son to struggle. Chris’s wife ends up leaving for New York, leaving Chris to take care of their son, Chris Jr.
Chris Gardner (Will Smith) ends up meeting Jay Twistle randomly during a cab ride, as Gardner impresses Twistle by solving a Rubix cube during their ride together. Twistle offers Gardner an internship to be a stockbroker at Dean Witter Reynolds. Chris accepts the role and attempts to change his life, and without ruining the rest of the movie, everyone can watch this drama when it arrives on Netflix on February 1.
Despite critics being on the fence about The Pursuit of Happyness, Will Smith would end up receiving a Best Actor nomination at the Academy Awards. Smith would lose to Forest Whittaker, who brought home the coveted award for his performance in The Last King of Scotland. The Pursuit of Happyness was the second time that Smith was nominated for Best Actor, though it took him all the way to 2022 to finally win the award for his performance in King Richard.
The Pursuit of Happyness was also the first time that the world got to see Will Smith’s son, Jayden, as the movie served as his acting debut. Jayden was quite good in the movie, and his performance would lead to another starring role with Keanu Reeves in the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, and in the reboot of The Karate Kid alongside Jackie Chan.
The Pursuit of Happyness was the second biopic that Will Smith was cast in, as he also portrayed Muhammad Ali in Ali, which was released in 2001. Both Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness led to Smith receiving a Best Actor nomination at the Academy Awards, though he did not win either time. The Pursuit of Happyness is a fantastic movie about perseverance and everyone should give it a watch when it arrives on Netflix on February 1.
