Pursuit of Happyness: The American Nightmare Portrayed As The American Dream

This is probably the “feel-good” movie of the year which, I think, will evoke the wrong sentiments in the American audience. Instead of being disgusted by our system and what so many people go through, this movie seems to impart this sense of “can-do” attitude in which almost everything can be overcome. It is a nice thought, but is it real? Not for most people. The vast majority of people do not have the intellectual talent of the protagonist. Don’t get me wrong, the commitment to his son and that relationship is tremendously moving. The acting is excellent.

However, the protaganists pursuit of capitalistic success is almost a form of mental illness. His drive for capitalist success leads to the destruction of his marriage. He is ashamed of his circumstances. The scene where his son tells the investment executive that they don’t have a car is both humorous and disgusting. Persistence, intelligence and self-confidence are great things. Having to be a superhuman to rise to success and having the capitalist value system set the standards – well that is where this movie is way off. It could also be the tale of someone who could have worked lesser jobs just to help his family survive, someone who lives the reality that most people do, someone who instead of behaving in an almost irrational and insane way, would do other things to survive. But most people cannot see the failed being in this movie. They only see the success story - The Horatio Alger, “Lift yourself up by the bootstraps”, and all of that crap that is so powerful with the American capitalist community.

This movie is so unreal just like America is so unreal in so many of its agendas. But we persist in creating false illusions. This movie is a false illusion. A man who was unwilling to survive at a lower level to keep his family together and prevent them from going through the things he put them through. This is the American nightmare portrayed as the American dream!