What is the iRankMovies score for The Pursuit of Happyness?

Name: The Pursuit of Happyness
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Genre: drama
Released: 2006
Duration: 1 h 57 min
Rating: 8

The Pursuit of Happyness has an iRankMovies score of 73.2/100, based on a weighted combination of IMDb (×3.0), Rotten Tomatoes (×2.0), Metacritic (×1.5), and TMDb (×1.0).

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

For his son, one man will reach for the impossible.

Release:2006

Runtime:1h 57m

Country:United States

Director:Gabriele Muccino

Language:English

Genre

Drama

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Keywords

WorkWorkerHomeless PersonSingle ParentSan Francisco CaliforniaBusHomelessnessChurch Service

iRank73

The Pursuit of Happyness rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb8/10· 614K votes

Rotten Tomatoes67%

Metacritic64%

TMDb7.886/10· 11K votes

With 67% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 8/10 on IMDb and 64/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been mixed.

About The Pursuit of Happyness

A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career.

Cast of The Pursuit of Happyness

Will Smith
as Chris Gardner
Jaden Smith
as Christopher
Thandiwe Newton
as Linda
Brian Howe
as Jay Twistle
James Karen
as Martin Frohm
Dan Castellaneta
as Alan Frakesh
Kurt Fuller
as Walter Ribbon
Takayo Fischer
as Mrs. Chu
Kevin West
as World's Greatest Dad
George Cheung
as Chinese Maintenance Worker
D
David Michael Silverman
as Doctor at First Hospital
D
Domenic Bove
as Tim Ribbon

The Pursuit of Happyness facts

Budget: $55M
Box office: $307.1M

Our take on The Pursuit of Happyness

Gabriele Muccino's 2006 drama traces a struggling salesman who takes sole custody of his young son just as he chases a demanding, potentially life-changing professional opportunity. From that spare premise the film draws its tension from the daily arithmetic of survival: making ends meet, keeping a child steady and holding onto ambition when circumstances keep tightening. It's a grounded, emotionally direct story of perseverance rather than plot twists, carried by the bond between father and son. It suits viewers who want an earnest, uplifting drama about resilience and hard-won progress, and who don't mind a film that earns its warmth through hardship first.

Ranked by the iRankMovies editorial teamUpdated August 2026Methodology Data sources

Audience opinions

What the audience liked

•Inspiring true story celebrates perseverance and father-son relationship authentically
•Emotional journey balances hardship with hopeful narrative arc throughout film
•Strong biographical foundation creates relatable underdog protagonist audiences root for

What the audience disliked

•Some dramatic moments feel manipulative rather than earned through character development
•Familiar inspirational formula may seem predictable to viewers versed in genre