Will Smith portrays Chris Gardner, a middle-aged father and husband living in San Francisco in the 1980s. Chris is near-broke and struggling to make ends meet peddling medical equipment to doctors and hospitals.  The financial stress becomes too much for his wife who decides to leave him and their five-year-old son, Christopher.  Chris must care for his son alone just as he begins a rigorous new internship for the stock brokerage company Dean Witter.

Chris' situation deteriorates – he is evicted from his apartment and is forced to take his son to a shelter, and at times even has to spend the night in a public restroom -- but he never gives up hope and never stops fighting for a better life for himself and his son.  The Pursuit of Happyness shows how hardships can compound in one's life, leaving the impression that there is no way out. But Chris' hard work and determination pay off when he finally earns a full-time position at Dean Witter.

The Pursuit of Happyness is an uplifting, inspirational story about the resilience of the human spirit, and the lengths a man will go to in order to provide for and protect his son.  Chris encourages his son's education and encourages him to aim high in life – reminding him repeatedly that he can do anything he sets his mind to.  The film is occasionally marred by some harsh language, including one obscenity uttered by the five-year-old child.