In 1981, in San Francisco, Chris Gardner (Will Smith) invests his family's savings in Osteo National bone-density scanners, a portable medical imaging device more expensive, but with a higher resolution than a traditional x-ray. The investment proves to be a white elephant which financially breaks the family and as a result, his wife Linda (Thandie Newton) leaves him and their son Christopher (Jaden Smith). While downtown he meets a manager for Dean Witter and impresses him by solving a Rubiks Cube. This new relationship earns him the chance to become a stockbroker, but nearly turns down when the position turns out to be unpaid. Chris is setback when his bank account is garnished by the IRS for back taxes. and as a result of unpaid taxes he becomes homeless, he is forced at one point to stay in a bathroom at a BART station. Motivation drives him to find the Glide Memorial United Methodist Church, which is dominantly a women homeless shelter for single moms and their children, but due to demand for the limited room Chris must race from work in order to land a place in line. Disadvantaged by his limited work hours, and knowing that maximizing his client contacts and profits is the only way to earn the one position that he and his 19 competitors are fighting for, Chris develops a number of ways to work more efficiently and reaches out to potential high value customers, defying protocol. Regardless of his challenges, he never reveals his circumstances to his co-workers even going so far as to loan one of his bosses five dollars for a cab. Concluding his internship, Chris is called into a meet with the big guys of the company. His struggle has paid off and he is offered the position. Fighting back tears he rushes to his son's daycare, hugging him. They walk down the street, joking with each other and are passed by a man in a business suit (the real Chris Gardner in a cameo). The epilogue reveals that Chris went on to form his own multi-million dollar brokerage firm.
No comments:
Post a Comment