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Montgomery 
"F**k!"
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 Posted - 01/18/2007 : 21:02:37
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quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
I still think everything that I thought previously; I especially think that the changes from the real story are highly significant - many people today live on less than he was living on then, so they changed things to make us feel sympathy for a character who didn't need it even at his poorest. It is always a negative thing when films veer from the truth; sometimes the benefits outweigh this but not this time.
Do you think that he didn't sleep at homeless shelters and sleep at a bus bathroom once? Maybe not the whole time that he was in the internship, since you found out that he got a stipend, but maybe he did before he got into the internship program. I liked the story. I thought it was well acted. Oscar Worthy? Maybe not. But, there are a lot of far worse performances that have gotten nominations in the past, so I wouldn't take offense if Will gets nominated for this in the Oscars. It has the advantage of coming out late in the year, so it is fresh in the nomination committee's short term memories.
I think they had to veer from the truth, if the real guy got that much money, because, you're right, it probably wasn't as dire as the movie portrayed. And, therefore, wouldn't have been quite so interesting.
Has anyone read "Nickel and Dimed in America". A good study (although just one person for a few months each job) of just how hard it is to make it on minimum wage here in the good old U.S. of A.
EM :) |
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silly 
"That rabbit's DYNAMITE."
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Posted - 01/18/2007 : 22:32:23
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I found this interesting article that talks about the real Gardner (and, by association, may spoil some of the film)
I'd be interested to read the book when it comes out.
Try telling a poor person that money can't buy happiness... 
Edit to add (after reading the entire article): this sounds closer to the movie in some ways than the IMDB snippets posted by users; however, I can also see why they had to edit some things to make the timeline fit. Otherwise, it would have made a decent miniseries, trying to explain all of this in movie format.
quote:
Gardner doesn't see his as a rags-to-riches story. What he hopes people come away with is that life is full of possibility if you put your heart into it and don't give up.
On his earlier trips to the city once he'd made it, Gardner would book a room at the Hyatt with a view of Union Square so he could see where he and his son had camped out on the grass and benches. This time, he's at the Fairmont Hotel.
"Those were the darkest days of my life,'' he says. "I'm ready to let it go."
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Edited by - silly on 01/18/2007 22:38:33 |
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Conan The Westy
"Father, Faithful Friend, Fwiffer"
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Posted - 01/19/2007 : 03:46:25
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Someone once told me:
Life is like a shit sandwich, the more bread you have the less shit you eat. (I said a rude word twice - please don't tell mum, Markandlain. ) That said we ALL have to eat it.
Everyone has problems rich or poor, but money can allow people to be miserable more comfortably.
The self-help books preach positive thinking but I remember Zig Ziglar once saying (major paraphrase coming up folks), "Positive thinking won't make Michael Jordan a race-winning jockey but it will make him a better jockey than if he had a negative attitude.
I love the inspiration that can be gained from a story well told but I find that by "improving" on true stories film makers sometimes cheat the viewers or lead them to become cynical when the full truth comes out. Silly's link about the "real" Gardner still provides plenty of inspiration for rags-to-riches without having to re-write his life to lift the drama.
Check out MelissaS's "Real vs Reel-life" accolade for 170 flicks where true stories have been "interpreted". Currently only Randall has it. Just think of the discussions we could have if we went through it - one film per week - like a book club with a new thread each week.   |
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duh
"catpurrs"
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Posted - 01/19/2007 : 06:33:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Conan The Westy
Everyone has problems rich or poor, but money can allow people to be miserable more comfortably.
I haven't yet seen the film.
This discussion reminds me of something I was thinking about today. I have so much fun; so many ideas, so excited about doing so many different things that I would need several lifetimes to do them all. The thought occurred to me that one of the worst things to do to any child is to rear them in a culture or atmosphere where they aren't encouraged to dream and to believe that there are virtually no limits for those who work hard enough. |
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Paddy C 
"Does not compute! Lame!"
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Posted - 01/19/2007 : 09:06:48
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quote:
Originally posted by duh
one of the worst things to do to any child is to rear them in a culture or atmosphere where they aren't encouraged to dream and to believe that there are virtually no limits for those who work hard enough.
Very true. Perhaps not having kids myself meant that I couldn't relate to Happyness as much. I've been defending my stance on this film a lot since writing the (now seemingly controversial!) review and I have to say, there seems to be a big audience for films like Happyness.. i.e. feel-good movies with a positive message relating to family and hard work.
My opinion of Happyness doesn't mean I disagree with the message of the movie, but perhaps in this case, I should defend my right to criticise the messengers! |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 01/19/2007 : 09:41:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Montgomery
Do you think that he didn't sleep at homeless shelters and sleep at a bus bathroom once?
I'm sure he did, but (i) I've slept in a toilet before from having nowhere else to go and it's not the end of the world and (ii) this did not originate from him being lumbered with scanners he couldn't sell. I'd have to know why he actually was in that situation. |
Edited by - Demisemicenturian on 01/19/2007 09:42:06 |
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Montgomery
"F**k!"
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Posted - 01/19/2007 : 15:50:58
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quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
quote:
Originally posted by Montgomery
Do you think that he didn't sleep at homeless shelters and sleep at a bus bathroom once?
I'm sure he did, but (i) I've slept in a toilet before from having nowhere else to go and it's not the end of the world and (ii) this did not originate from him being lumbered with scanners he couldn't sell. I'd have to know why he actually was in that situation.
SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!
The article Silly left a link to seems to spell his life out in more detail. He apparently, was trying to make the $1,000 last between daycare costs and diapers and whatever else and trying to save up to have the deposit for an apartment. But, that would have been hard to explain in the movie, so they made it seem like he was completely desitute, rather than explain why he had some money but still stayed in shelters and the bus terminal.
I still think it's a pretty amazing story. And I enjoyed the film. I'm not so upset that the story was changed some. They didn't say, "This is a true story", which is the only time where I think it has to be completely true -- or, in the case of a documentary, where it definitely needs to be true.
It's not like the book "A Million Little Pieces" where the guy presented it like the whole truth and then admitted that he had changed several key parts of it for better drama, etc.
I refused to read that book once I realized great parts of it were really fiction.
EM :) |
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Conan The Westy
"Father, Faithful Friend, Fwiffer"
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Posted - 01/19/2007 : 20:56:22
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| Saw it last night and really enjoyed it (despite the "dramatic improvements"). |
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w22dheartlivie
"Kitty Lover"
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Posted - 07/13/2007 : 11:31:15
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Saw this tonight since it's come out on DVD. Just popping to add my 2 cents worth. I have no problem with changing storylines to emphasize situations in films based on true stories. No one advocates that they are documentaries, so that in itself allows for dramatic license.
Personally, I found this film to be inspirational. The emphasis on the importance of being a good and loving father, not to disappear from his son's life, was fulfilling to me.
One has to be in the situation of being nearly broke, looking at homelessness and fighting to keep the basics of live to appreciate Gardner's desire to make things different. Gardner's stipend of $1000 a month sounds fairly good on the surface, but when all the various income taxes, child care, housing, food, transportation, clothing and necessities are considered, it isn't all that much. The problem is that once you get below a certain point in life, it's a Herculean challenge to pull yourself out. The one expense I heard specifically mentioned in the film was the cost of day care - $150 a month. That's fairly huge in 1981.
No, money can't buy happiness, nor does it equal that, but when the constant pressure to meet even basic needs are being met, life does seem much simpler and happier. Not being able to do this becomes the all-consuming demand, so lack of money certainly buys more misery than vice versa. As Silly said "Try telling a poor person that money can't buy happiness."
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Edited by - w22dheartlivie on 07/13/2007 22:32:14 |
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MisterBadIdea 
"PLZ GET MILK, KTHXBYE"
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Posted - 07/13/2007 : 14:35:06
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| I think Paddy C's got this exactly right. This is a story about how money = happiness. This movie worked just fine for me until I sat down and thought about it. Why didn't he just get another job instead of still trying to sell those worthless devices? How admirable is it to take an unpaid internship when you have unresolved business with the IRS and a family to feed? The fact is, they slept in a bus station bathroom because that is the choice Will Smith made. And the demonization of the wife character really grates, as she makes perfect and total sense; she IS pulling double shifts at the laundry. Will Smith's character is a complete dick. |
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The Pursuit of Happyness
