By the time Michael Sarrazin landed the role of William Popper in The Pursuit of Happiness, he had displayed his Actor’s Studio credentials in a number of roles on stage and screen (They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?; The Sweet Ride and The Flim-Flam Man), and was a perfect choice to play the appealing, young lead in this anti-establishment story. Popper, who comes from privilege, has his eyes opened to social activism on the college campus by his girlfriend, Jane Kauffman (Barbara Hershey). When a traffic accident forces Popper face-to-face with the judicial system, his principles and counter-culture lifestyle are put on trial. Directed by Robert Mulligan (To Kill a Mockingbird, Inside Daisy Clover) and based on Thomas Rogers’ book of the same title, the lesson Popper learns is that the severest consequences can come from trying to do the right thing. (Sony)
