Manohla Dargis called the movie The Pursuit of Happyness "the same old bootstraps story,an American Dream artfully told,skillfully sold.How you respond to this man's moving story may depend on whether you find Mr.Smith's and his son's performances so overwhelmingly winning that you buy the idea that poverty is a function of bad luck and bad choices,and success the result of heroic toil and dreams." What idea is being expressed here?
A) that the American Dream is an ideology
B) that America is a largely class-free society
C) that poverty is absolute, not relative
D) that most Americans will inherit their parents' class status

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The idea being expressed is that The Pursuit of Happyness portrays the American Dream as an ideology. The movie suggests that poverty is a result of bad luck and bad choices, while success is achieved through hard work and perseverance, which are key tenets of the American Dream. Dargis questions whether viewers will accept this view of poverty and success as accurate or whether they will recognize it as an artful, yet unrealistic, portrayal.

Manohla Dargis Called the Movie the Pursuit of Happyness "The