Movie Review: Hector and the Search for Happiness

Hector and the Search for Happiness is up there in the Happiness movie genre, which typically crops up once or twice a year, catering to middle-aged folks (or those nearing it) who are, well, unhappy.  The nearest analogy to this movie that I can think of is Zoolander sequel, better known as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, with less graphics and more heart and without Ben Stiller's dull-eyed excuse for a soulful stare'

I liked that movie, Zoolander 2, but the first Zoolander set my opinion of Stiller for life, that is to say, he tries so hard but seems to stuck in the same Sandlerese tendency to believe that his grasp is longer than his reach. Or something.

Hector, which stars Simon Pegg, has a problem -- he's middle aged and wonders where his life is going.  He's successful, has a girl, yet he's... you guessed it! Unhappy!.  Well, maybe not exactly unhappy, but he's unsure what happiness really is.  Which is a problem when you're there, as a psychiatrist, to decipher what it would take for his numerous patients to reach their own goal of personal happiness.

So he solves it the way all middle-aged people do: buy a sports car.  The end.

Well... not quite, he travels (leaving the sports car) and experiences life in all its variety, chronicling his experiences in a travel book and dealing with the changing aspects of his life and his relationship with his girlfriend.

It might not seem like it, but this movie touched me immensely, not as much as The Theory of Everything, but having seen both movies one after another had me master the art of crying beside your girlfriend without being too obvious about it.  With the lights on, too.

This movie has a heart, and not just because it involved an actual romantic (or non-romantic) relationship between Hector and his girlfriend, as compared to the lack of one in Zoolander 2, but Simon Pegg, which is known for his comedic acts, brought about a gamut of emotions in that highly mobile and expressive face of his.  You still get funny moments, but they're funny in the way life is funny, whether the situation is tragic, or joyful or anything else in between.  There is grace and indignity and life and love and all those silly words that is very, very human and not too ruined by the act of making this movie and making sure it hits the right notes and passes its test screenings.



Ehem.

But, really, watch this movie.  It's great fun.  Just maybe not with your girlfriend, or, at least, not with the lights on.  You can only tell her you were cutting onions so many times before she stops believing you.

Rating: Highly Recommended 5/5

TL;DR:
++ Simon Pegg
+ A feel-good movie that doesn't try too hard
+ They spelled 'happiness' right
+++ Rosamund Pike <3

Details:
Genre: Dramedy, Happiness
Release Date: Sometime in August, 2014 (At least in Germany)
Runtime: 114 min
Notable Stars: Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1626146/