明天不一定更美好，但美好的明天一定会来临。电影The Pursuit of Happyness正反映了这样一个信念。这部根据真人真事改编的电影体现了主人公Chris Gardner的追梦之旅以及他和儿子Christopher间深厚的父子情。

Hold Fast to Your Dreams

　　Chris Gardner（Will Smith饰）是一位普通的医疗器械推销员，他花光所有的积蓄买下了堆满一面墙的骨密度测定仪，坚信这些revolutionary machine一定会卖得很好，一定能让他和妻儿过上幸福的生活。可现实生活不遂人愿，任凭Chris如何努力，都很难卖出这种测定仪。于是，生活开始变得摇摆不定。妻子不得不在工厂上double shift work（两班倒）来贴补家用。他们五岁的儿子Christopher只能每天被寄放在收费低廉的日托所里。

　　Chris这样一个正直、坚韧的男人，却总没办法让家里过上好日子。终于有一天，他路过金融区，遇到了一个开着红色法拉利且和他同龄的白领。

　　[那个人停车准备进旁边的写字楼上班，Chris羡慕地走上前去和他攀谈。]

　　Chris: Man, I got two questions for you: What do you do? And how do you do it?

　　Man: I'm a stockbroker (证券经纪人).

　　Chris: Stockbroker. Oh. Had to go to college to be a stockbroker, huh?

　　Man: You don't have to. Have to be good with numbers and good with people. That's it.

　　当时世界一流的证券公司Dean Witter有个为期六个月的实习生项目。仅有高中学历的Chris深知自己的简历很难赢得面试的机会。于是，他直接去找该公司的人力主管Jay Twistle。Twistle收下了Chris的简历，让他回去等电话。可一个月过去了，依旧音讯全无。不甘放弃的Chris决定再次主动找Twistle面谈。

　　[Chris在大楼门前等了很久，Twistle终于出现了，他冲了上去。]

　　Chris: Chris Gardner.

　　Twistle: Yeah, hi. What can I do for you?

　　Chris: I submitted an application for the intern program about a month ago ... and I would just love the opportunity to sit with you briefly-

　　Twistle: Listen, I'm going to Noe Valley, Chris. Take care of yourself.

　　[Chris不愿失去这个机会，决定找个借口和Twistle拼车，上车交谈。]

　　Chris: Mr. Twistle. Actually, I'm on my way to Noe Valley also. How about we share a ride〔1〕?

　　Twistle: All right. Get in.

　　Chris: So when I was in the Navy, I worked for a doctor who loved to play golf, hours and hours every day ... and I would actually perform medical procedures when he'd leave me in the office. So I'm used to being in a position where I have to make decisions and ... [发现Twistle没在听] Mr. Twistle, listen. This is a very important ...

　　[Twistle一直玩着当时风靡美国的智力玩具--魔方，根本没有在听。]

　　Twistle: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. This thing's impossible.

　　Chris: I can do it.

　　Twistle: No, you can't. No one can. It's bullshit.

　　Chris: No, I'm pretty sure I can do it.

　　Twistle: No, you can't.

　　Chris: Let me see it. Give it here.

　　[Twistle迟疑地把魔方递给了Chris。]

　　Chris: Oh, yeah. Oh, wow, you really messed it up〔2〕.

　　Twistle: Sorry.

　　Chris: It looks like it works around a swivel (转体), so the center pieces never move. So if it's yellow in the center, that's the yellow side. If it's red in the center, that's the red side.

　　[为了赢得时间向Twistle证明自己是个聪明的人，Chris让司机开慢一点。]

　　Chris: You can slow down.

　　Twistle: Oh! Listen, we can drive around all day. I don't believe you can do this.

　　Chris: Yeah, I can.

　　Twistle: No, you can't.

　　Chris: Yes, I can.

　　Twistle: No, you can't. I'm telling you, no one can ... See, that's all I ever did ... You almost have this side ... Holy cow! [Chris转出了一面] Oh, You almost had that one. [Chris又转出了一面]

　　Chris: I'm gonna get it.

　　Twistle: Look at that. You're almost there.

　　Taxi driver: Seventeen ten.

　　Chris: This is me.

　　[Chris最终将六个面全部转了出来。]

　　Twistle: Good job. Goodbye.

　　Chris: Ok. I'll see you ... see you soon.

　　Chris的这次"面谈"给Twistle留下了深刻的印象。可就在这段时间里，Chris的生活却在负债的泥沼里越陷越深，沉重的打击一个接着一个：妻子终究不能忍受穷困艰辛的生活和养家糊口的压力，离开了家；房东一遍遍地催讨房租并勒令他搬走；该死的测定仪一台也卖不出去......

　　就在此时，Chris接到了Twistle的电话，通知他去参加Dean Witter为期六个月的实习生项目的面试。可面试的前一天，就在Chris为了多拖欠几天房租，免费为房东刷墙的时候，他因为拖欠停车罚单过久而被拘留，次日早上9点才得以脱身。Chris来不及换洗，一路狂奔到了面试地点。

　　[一身污渍的Chris坐在面试桌前。]

　　Chris: I've been sitting there for the last half-hour trying to come up with a story that would explain my being here dressed like this. And I wanted to come up with a story that would demonstrate qualities that I'm sure you all admire here, like earnestness (认真) or diligence, team-playing (团队合作), something. And I couldn't think of anything. So the truth is ... I was arrested for failure to pay parking tickets.

　　Frohm: Parking tickets?

　　Chris: And I ran all the way here from the police station.

　　Frohm: What were you doing before you were arrested?

　　Chris: I was painting my apartment.

　　Frohm: Is it dry now?

　　Chris: I hope so.

　　Frohm: Jay says you're pretty determined.

　　[看到自己推荐的Chris竟然如此装扮前来面试，Jay Twistle感到一丝羞愧。]

　　Twistle: He's been waiting outside the front of the building ... with some 40-pound gizmo (玩意) for over a month.

　　Frohm: He said you're smart.

　　Chris: Well, I'd like to think so.

　　Frohm: And you want to learn this business?

　　Chris: Yes, sir, I wanna learn this business.

　　Frohm: Have you already started learning on your own?

　　Chris: Absolutely.

　　Frohm: Jay?

　　Twistle: Yes, sir.

　　Frohm: How many times have you seen Chris?

　　Twistle: I don't know. One too many, apparently.

　　Chris: Was he ever dressed like this?

　　Twistle: No. No. Jacket and tie.

　　Frohm: First in your class? In school? High school?

　　Chris: Yes, sir.

　　Frohm: How many in the class?

　　Chris: Twelve. It was a small town.

　　Frohm: I'll say.

　　Chris: But I was also first in my radar class in the Navy, and that was a class of 20 ... Can I say something? I'm the type of person ... if you ask me a question and I don't know the answer I'm gonna tell you that I don't know. But I bet you what, I know how to find the answer, and I will find the answer. Is that fair enough?

　　Frohm: Chris, what would you say if a guy walked in for an interview without a shirt on ... and I hired him? What would you say?

　　Chris: He must've had on some really nice pants.

　　Chris的执著和坚定、正直和诚实、沉着和冷静，赢得了Dean Witter的合伙人Frohm先生的青睐。就这样，他成为了世界顶级证券公司为期半年的实习生。不过这个竞争激烈的实习项目没有任何工资，甚至没有职位的承诺--20个实习生经过半年的考察，最后只能留下一人。

　　通过面试的Chris幸运地卖掉了几台测定仪，挣到了一些钱，足以维持他和儿子这半年的生活。生活似乎要有所转机，可就在这时，更糟的事情发生了。国家税务局在某一天没有任何提醒就从他的账户划走了他拖欠过久的税款；Chris的账户顷刻之间只剩下了二十多美元。没钱付租金的Chris只好带着儿子搬到了汽车旅馆，后来又流落到教会收容所。生活急转直下，但Chris明白，这是他最后的机会，是通往幸福生活的唯一路途。于是，夜晚带着儿子颠沛流离的他，白天还是打起十二分的精神在这家声名显赫的证券公司里为了1/20的正式录用机会拼命努力着。

　　Chris: Whoever brought in the most money after six months was usually hired. We were all working our way up call sheets to sign clients. From the bottom to the top, from the doorman to the CEO. They'd stay till 7, but I had Christopher. I had to do in six hours what they do in nine. In order not to waste any time, I wasn't hanging up the phone in between calls. I realized that by not hanging up the phone, I gained another eight minutes a day. I also wasn't drinking water, so I didn't waste any time in the bathroom. But even doing all this, after two months, I still didn't have time to work my way up a sheet.

　　白天，Chris在公司里充分利用时间工作，为了实现自己的梦想，也为了早点下班带着儿子去排队住收容所；夜里，他则要把仅有的一台测定仪修好以期换来一点儿生活费。生活的穷困让人沮丧无比，但为了儿子，也为了自己的梦想，Chris咬紧牙关，坚持着他对幸福生活的追寻，一点一点地寻找着命运的出口。

　　[六个月的实习结束，Chris忐忑不安地走进了面试间。]

　　Frohm: Chris, sit down, please.

　　Chris: I thought I'd wear a shirt today. You know, being the last day and all.

　　Frohm: Well, thank you. Thank you. We appreciate that. But wear one tomorrow though, okay? Because tomorrow's going to be your first day, if you'd like to work here as a broker. Would you like that, Chris?

　　[巨大的幸福感溢满了Chris全身，他不禁流下了幸福的眼泪。]

　　Chris: Yes, sir.

　　Frohm: Good. We couldn't be happier. So welcome. Was it as easy as it looked?

　　Chris: No, sir. No, sir, it wasn't.

　　Frohm: Good luck, Chris.

　　Chris: Thank you. Thank you.

　　[回顾往事的Chris这样说道：]

　　Chris: This part of my life ... this little part ... is called "Happiness".

　　有梦想才有真追求，追寻幸福的过程也许并不幸福，但只要你心存希望，在内心深处执著地等待着命运在峰回路转时的嫣然一笑，那么，你一定能等到幸福敲门的时候。

I Trust You

　　"I'm Chris Gardner. I met my father for the first time when I was 28 years old. And I made up my mind as a young kid that when I had children, my children were gonna know who their father was."这是影片的开场白，让人看到Chris作为一个父亲，之所以能保持对生活的积极态度，有很大一半源于对儿子Christopher幸福生活的承诺。

　　[Chris的妻子选择了离开，但Chris坚决要留下儿子Christopher。]

　　Chris: Let me ask you something. Are you happy?

　　Christopher: Yeah.

　　Chris: Because I'm happy. And if you're happy and I'm happy, then that's a good thing, right?

　　Christopher: Yeah.

　　[Chris没钱付房租被迫搬到了一个汽车旅馆。]

　　Christopher: Dad, why did we move to a motel?

　　Chris: I told you. Because I'm getting a better job. You gotta trust me, all right?

　　Christopher: I trust you.

　　Chris: All right. Here. Come on. Come on.

　　那段日子里，Chris虽然不能给儿子丰富的物质生活，但他给了儿子对梦想的勇气和信念，即使是在自己离成功还很远的时候。

　　[Chris陪儿子打球。]

　　Christopher: Hey, Dad. I'm going pro (职业运动员). I'm going pro.

　　Chris: OK! Yeah, I don't know. You know ... You'll probably be about as good as I was. That's kind of the way it works, you know. I was below average. You know, so you'll probably ultimately rank somewhere around there, you know, so ... really you'll excel〔3〕 at a lot of things, just not this. I don't want you shooting this ball all day and night. All right?

　　Christopher: All right.

　　Chris: All right, go ahead ... Hey. Don't ever let somebody tell you, you can't do something. Not even me. All right?

　　Christopher: All right.

　　Chris: You got a dream. You gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves. They wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want something, go get it. Period〔4〕.

　　由于付不起汽车旅馆的房费，老板把他们的行李扔了出来。无处容身的父子俩只好辗转到了地铁站，儿子对父亲不能带自己回家而感到有些沮丧。

　　[Chris为了安慰儿子，虚构了一个恐龙时代。]

　　Christopher: Where are we going? Dad, where are we going?

　　Chris: I don't know.

　　Christopher: It's not a time machine. Dad, It's not a time machine. The guy said it was a time machine. It's not a time machine. He was wrong.

　　Chris: What guy?

　　Christopher: The guy who's at the park said it was a time machine.

　　Chris: Yes, it is.

　　Christopher: No, it's not.

　　Chris: It is.

　　Christopher: No, it's not.

　　Chris: All we gotta do is push this black button right here. Wanna push it?

　　Christopher: Okay.

　　Chris: Come on. Come on, man. Right here. Wait a minute. Where do you wanna go?

　　Christopher: I don't know. Some place from before.

　　Chris: You gotta close your eyes.

　　Christopher: You close your eyes. I wanna see.

　　Chris: All right, come on. We'll push it together. You gotta close your eyes. It takes a few seconds ... Oh, my goodness. Open, open, open!

　　Christopher: What is it?

　　Chris: Dinosaurs.

　　Christopher: Where?

　　Chris: You don't see all these dinosaurs? Look around. Look at all these dinosaurs. Can you see them?

　　Christopher: Yeah.

　　Chris: Wait. Come on, come on. Wait! Watch out!

　　Christopher: What is it?

　　Chris: Don't step in the fire. We're cavemen (穴居人). We need this fire, because there's no electricity ... and it's cold out here, okay?

　　Christopher: Watch out!

　　Chris: Whoa! Oh, my god! A T. rex (霸王龙). Get your stuff. Get your stuff. Get it. We gotta find someplace safe.

　　Christopher: Like what?

　　Chris: We need a cave.

　　Christopher: A cave?

　　Chris: We gotta find a cave. Come on. Watch your back! Look out. Here it is. Here's a cave. Come on. Right here. Go, go, go. Get in. Hurry, hurry, hurry.

　　[父子二人藏进了被虚构为洞穴的厕所。]

　　Christopher: Are we safe?

　　Chris: Yeah, I think so.

　　对很多人而言，家人永远是追寻梦想的动力。影片中那种呼之欲出的父子情非常打动人心，上阵父子兵，要知道影片中饰演儿子的小演员Jaden Smith正是饰演父亲的Will Smith的儿子呢。

The Pursuit of Happiness

　　电影片名中的"happyness"是故意拼错的（应该是happiness），它与片中的一个场景相呼应。Chris发现托儿所外面的墙上出现"the pursuit of happyness"这句话，就去告知老师单词拼写错了。老师却告诉他，happyness是否拼对并不重要，重要的是孩子们是否拥有它。这句话深深触动了Chris，激发他为儿子能拥有幸福的生活而奋斗。

　　那么，幸福是什么？如何去追寻？这是我们时常自省的两个问题，虽然对于第一个问题，每个人都有不同的答案，但对于第二个问题，也许成年后的Christopher给出了正确的答案：How did he know to put the "pursuit" part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue. And maybe we can actually never have it ... no matter what.

　　Happiness is a voyage, not a destination. 对于幸福、梦想亦或其他，追寻的过程也许并不总是阳光普照，但在幸福来敲门的那一个瞬间，泪水和欢笑都来自于为之奋斗的每一个平凡的日子。

　　You have a dream. You got to protect it. Period.