The pursuit of Happyness is a drama motion picture that released in 2008. The main hero and primary leader is Chris Gardener (Will Smith), a homeless salesman who is fighting financial struggles and ultimately obtains a job in a brokerage enterprise. Gardner tolerates destitution and declines despair in order to make a decent living for his son named Christopher (Jaden Smith). His professional aggressiveness enables him to discover the available internships and helps him become a stockbroker in a multibillion dollar firm. Therefore, the film focuses on the theme of hope and determination.

The dominant leadership theory in the movie is the trait theory because the primary leader was born with particular elements that enabled him to excel in acquiring position of the Dean Witter Reynolds’ broker. In this, it is notable that the occupation requires an individual who is good with people and numbers, meaning that the person has intelligence skills, is creative, responsible, and possesses all distinctive qualities of a good leader. In this context, one of the strengths of the primary leader is that he has the prospective to develop a strong relationship with his son. It is evident from the small movie moments, such as when the son tells the father “You’re a good papa” when they talk before going to bed (Muccino, 2008). Besides, the fact that the son did not stay with his mother, Linda (Thandie Newton), also signifies that the father, who is the primary leader, was responsible. Chris also asked his son to trust him when his wife decided to leave them. He knew that he would be a better parent than his wife, who also wanted to stay with the child. Additionally, Chris was extremely patient because he answered every question that his son asked. For instance, when the son asked whether he was the reason his mother left, Chris answered politely that his mother decided it for herself and left not because of the son.

Apart from the strengths, the primary leader had weaknesses. Instead of appreciating the day care provider, he was upset when he realized that she was teaching children to pronounce happiness with a y instead of i (Muccino, 2008). The misspelled words caused anguish on the primary leader which became the reason to intentionally misspell the title of the movie. Another weakness is that Chris was a deceiving person because he lied numerous times to his son, who recognized the deception. Through his lies, Gardner wanted to keep Christopher Jr. from understanding his desperate conditions. Another instance that displays his weakness is the situation when he boarded a cab without money, talking to Jay Twistle, Dean Witter Reynolds’ manager. Consequently, the angry cabby chased Chris, yelling and swearing threats (Muccino, 2008).

Based upon the primary character of the movie, it is apparent that leaders are born, not created. The primary character had the potential to succeed through the skills that he acquired. Firstly, as noted above, he ensured that he had a steady relationship with his son. Secondly, if he was a leader created by situation, he would have despaired facing such devastating social and financial challenges. Without natural ability to overcome such difficulties, Chris would definitely fail under crushing circumstances he was experiencing. The primary leader used his power when he displayed the ability to take care of his son. For instance, Chris inspired his son to protect his dreams, especially in the moment where they played basketball: “Don’t ever let somebody tell you you can’t do something. Not even me” (Muccino, 2008). Again, the primary leader was strong because he endured not only the unimaginable life situations, but also small unpleasant issues which he had no time for. For instance, even though he was puzzled by day care provider situation, he continued to take his son to her, which displayed his ability to endure difficult moments for the good of his loved ones.

In conclusion, the aspect of hope and determination is the main motive of the movie as Chris struggles to meet the needs of his son. In this term, the movie encompasses leadership aspects which we learned from the course. For instance, as the leader, he was persistent because he faced many challenges and never surrendered. Besides, the leader had the hunger for success, which he gained through persistence. It is notable that he lost everything he had and even lived as a homeless with his son, but hoped that one day he would be victorious, doing everything possible to realize his dream.

About the author: Alisa Parker is a master in Literature at the University of Massachusetts. She is currently working as one of the best writers at the place where you can find information on how to write quality essays She also studies male psychology.