A Journey in Self-Discovery (Hector and the Search for Happiness - 2014 - R)

I've been looking for the perfect film to start off our summer blog and it just so happened that my brother suggested Hector and the Search for Happiness randomly on Wednesday - this film totally stole my heart. It is the perfect film to kick off our Netflix journey on a happy note.

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Hector, played by Simon Pegg (Star Trek, Shaun of the Dead), is a British psychiatrist who lives a regular routine life with his girlfriend Clara (Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl, Pride & Prejudice). Hector listens to his patients as he absentmindedly sketches his dreams for journeys to faraway places. One night at a dinner party for his wife's work, a woman asks him about the elusive "'appiness."

Video credit: Hector and the Search for Happiness, YouTube

These questions vex Hector. What is happiness? How does a person simply be happy? He finds himself at a loss - is he even happy? Finally he decides to take a journey to explore the meaning of happiness to people from around the world. Think Eat, Pray, Love - Simon Pegg style. He travels to China, Africa, and the U.S. meeting wealthy businessmen, prostitutes, monks, and professors. He even befriends a drug lord in Africa (played by Jean Reno, a fav, who I will most definitely be writing about again soon).

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I love Simon Pegg for his typical goofy characters, but he portrays a more serious role in Hector and the Search for Happiness and I feel like he pulled it off really well. The character is a little bit clueless at first as he realizes that he's forgotten to truly experience life and his shift in perspective is a hopeful transition. However, my biggest issue with the film had to be the unrelatableness of some of Hector's experiences such as being kidnapped in Africa and a random wealthy guy he meets on the plane treating him to a night at the clubs - a bit far fetched if you ask me.

Image credit: www.dailymail.co.uk

All in all, I walked away from Hector and the Search for Happiness feeling light and optimistic. I would definitely throw it into the same category as Eat, Pray, Love and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I'm a sucker for films with a positive message about self-discovery and a search for personal truth. Rating: 4/5 pints of Ben & Jerry's.