Pursuit of Happiness (1970) [HD]

Bittersweet Time Capsule
If you enjoy the period details of the Sixties in Mad Men, you should check out this underrated (and largely overlooked) film by Robert Mulligan from 1970. Better than any movie I can think of, it captures the mindset of the generational gap of the Sixties. It is remarkable how the hero rejects the phoniness of the "Establishment" for its lack of honesty. Today's political climate and attitudes are so much more evil, full of lies, greed, and power grabs, that it makes 1970 look like paradise.

The product description is inaccurate. Pay no attention to it. The beauty of this film is in the details, the posters, the activism, the look of New York, the casual racism and sexism, the idealism of a sort no one has these days... Even the aerial shot of the Statue of Liberty is something that couldn't be filmed today, post 9-11.

ok early 70's picture
Michael Sarrazin in a fine performance plays a young man who accidently kills a pedestrian with his car. He goes unjustly through the court and prison systems. His attitude is taken into account more than his actions. The radical mood of the movie is typical of its time. Barbara Hershey plays a supporting role as his pretty girlfriend. Ruth White gives a somewhat funny performance as his bigoted grandmother. 2.5 out of 3.

Good Film, Good Performances - It Came and Went
I saw this on the bottom half of a double bill, the main feature being "The Anderson Tapes." It played for a week in L.A., then disappeared for several years until it showed up on commercial television. A lot of good people in it. Look for Robert Klein as one of those college radicals who puts his hands to his ears and shakes his head when he is "blown away" by anything "far out" and Wow!"

Glad to see it on DVD, but the "artwork" is horrible; it looks like a cheap exploitation film with the tight close ups; the VHS copy looked a lot more dignified. Why don't the studios just put the original theatrical poster on the DVD case? These "artists" with their "interpretations" of a film's content always seem to miss the point of the film. Let them create oversize pictures of Big Macs; that way, their junk will be appropriate and justified.

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