What age is The Pursuit of Happyness appropriate for?

Rated PG-13 in the US. 13, alone or with a parent; 10 in France. The whole movie, watched in full: what's in it, and how to talk about it with your child.

Why is The Pursuit of Happyness not recommended under 13?

What's in it: the official rating, first; a father and son on the street; a mother who leaves, a father arrested; swearing, beers. The detail, fact by fact, is in the zinema guide, which reads the work itself (images, sound, dialogue).

zinema · movies · what age

The Pursuit of Happyness: what age is it for? 13, alone or with a parent

From 13, alone or with a parent.

Movie · 2006 · 1 h 58 · drama

YRS

The trailer

Alone, or with you

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not yetwith an adult, or to talk about afteralonethe sweet spot

The official US rating is PG-13, and we never go below it. Alone from 13, and not before, even with an adult.

The sweet spot: around 13, when you can watch a father and his little boy sleep in a public toilet without finding it funny. Why a sweet spot?

Official US rating: PG-13. In France, zinema would say 10.

Watch the trailerContinue in zinemathen where to watch it, in zinema · more trailers, and where to watch films · Where to stream itWhere to watch

What it's about

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

Why 13

The official rating, firstRated PG-13 in the US (parents strongly cautioned, some material may be inappropriate for children under 13). zinema never goes below the country's rating: it explains it.
rule
A father and son on the streetEvicted from a motel, they sleep in the toilets of a subway station, the father in tears blocking the door with his foot; queues for a bed in a shelter, nights when the child asks why. This is the heart of the film, with nothing brutal.
A mother who leaves, a father arrestedThe mother leaves home after shouted arguments in front of the child; the father is taken away by the police for unpaid fines and spends a night in a cell. A fight over a stolen device, a car accident with no injuries.
Swearing, beersAbout twenty swear words in English, seven in French; beers and cigarettes on the street. A naked man glimpsed from behind in a shelter.

What the movie brings

A father who shields his son from fear without lying to him: the imaginary cave scene in the toilets.
What it means to be poor in a big city, for a child who has never seen it.
A true story, that of Chris Gardner, played by Will Smith and his own son.

Watching it together

Before

Say beforehand that the mother leaves and does not come back, and that the film stays sad for a long time before ending well.

After

at 13 and up

The father tells his son never to let anyone say he cannot succeed: is that always true?

See the facts

Pace●●● · shownmeasured

A weapon shown or used●●○ · suggestedmeasured

A weapon shown or used●●○ · shownmeasured

Abandonment, separation, confinement●●○ · shownmeasured

Alcohol●●○ · shownmeasured

Death of a character●●○ · saidmeasured

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Fighting, brawls●●○ · shownmeasured

Kissing, romantic gestures●●○ · shownmeasured

Long dark scenes, night, storm●●○ · shownmeasured

Smoking●●○ · shownmeasured

Swearing●●○ · shownmeasured

Tense music or sound●●○ · shownmeasured

Verbal threat or intimidation●●○ · saidmeasured

A moment that calls for a parent●○○ · suggestedmeasured

Alcohol●○○ · saidmeasured

Frightening imagery●○○ · shownmeasured

Humor●○○ · shownmeasured

Insults, hurtful words●○○ · shownmeasured

Visible injury, blood●○○ · saidmeasured

Visible injury, blood●○○ · shownmeasured

For the same age, on zinema

Les Parfait(s) : Arnaques en famille 10, 9 with a parent
Masterplan 17
Blücher 11, 10 with a parent
Le Château dans le ciel 11, 10 with a parent

The latest guides

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A zinema reading from September 20, 2026 · the whole movie, watched in full · the age by zinema's rules for the US and France, and a human reading · report an error · how this guide is made