Director: Peter Chelsom

Cast: Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike, Tony Collette, Stellen, Stellan Skarsgård, and Veronica Ferres

Synopsis: Hector is a Psychiatrist who is mentally separated from the world that is happening around him. He lumbers through his daily routines and sacrifices passion and exploration for structure and practicality. Hector realizes that he never really listens to his patients because he is convinced that they all like to think that they’re hopeless.

But after discovering that he is almost exactly like the people he’s treating, Hector comes to the conclusion that he needs to broaden his worldly perspective before he can offer real advice to help make his patients happy. With an unknown amount of time and distance needed to complete his objective, Hector boldly starts a journey across the globe to find what truly makes a person happy.

Movie Review:

This film takes audiences on a spectacular journey through a range of emotions and a variety of character types. The question is asked repetitively throughout the film – “What makes you happy?” – but the answer is never the same. “Hector and the Search for Happiness” illustrates the seemingly limitless ways a person can feel good in life. The contrast between the characters cultures, lifestyles, and values show audiences that finding happiness is strictly dependent on the type person searching for it.

Overall this film can be seen as the classic road trip story. Hector starts his journey trying to find a solution for his patients, but it was more about the discoveries he made about himself during the trip. It was never about the destination but rather Hectors development; he went from being numb to everything to realizing what was most important to him in life and finding comfort with his emotions. Simon Pegg did a fantastic job playing Hector and capturing this dramatic transformation.

Although “Hector and the Search for Happiness” was based around deep interpersonal situations and improving self-awareness, the film effectively broke up the seriousness with a good amount of lighthearted fun. Little snippets of word play, physical humor, and sarcasm were spread throughout that worked brilliantly for the pacing of the film. Even during the most depressing or intense scenes, a cute one-liner was occasionally added in to bring a momentary chuckle.

The filming was also beautifully done with the creative flare typically seen throughout independent films, but they didn’t overdo it. Hectors entire journey is documented in his notebook and to show the importance of this item some scenes merged with the drawings he created. This visual representation of Hector living in his own world was very enjoyable to watch on screen.

For anyone interested in seeing a fun, feel-good movie with great life concepts, “Hector and the Search for Happiness” is a must see. Check it out in theaters on Friday September 19th.

Scroll down below the trailer in this article to see Hectors list of happiness tips from the movie.

SPOILER ALERT – Content from the film:

Hectors list of secrets for being happy: Click Here