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Hector and the Search for Happiness

Hector, an offbeat psychiatrist, has grown weary of his mundane routine. In a candid confession to his girlfriend Clara, he admits he feels like a fraud - he hasn't truly tasted life, yet he's dispensing advice to patients who aren't getting any happier. Longing for something more, he breaks free from his deluded, routine-bound existence. Equipped with a reservoir of courage and a childlike sense of wonder, he launches a world-spanning quest to uncover the elusive secret formula for true happiness. What follows is a larger-than-life adventure yielding riotously funny results.

Director(s)

Peter Chelsom

Paula Antil

Paul Barry

Philip Nee Nee

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Cast & Crew

Christopher Plummer

Christopher Plummer

Professor Coreman

Jean Reno

Jean Reno

Diego Baresco

Gabrielle Rose

Gabrielle Rose

French Proprietress

Bernard Cuffling

Bernard Cuffling

Professor Niedorf

Rosamund Pike

Rosamund Pike

Clara

Stellan Skarsgård

Stellan Skarsgård

Edward

Michael Adamthwaite

Michael Adamthwaite

Queen's Guard

Simon Pegg

Simon Pegg

Hector

Toni Collette

Toni Collette

Agnes

Barry Atsma

Barry Atsma

Michael

Togo Igawa

Togo Igawa

Old Monk

Chris Gauthier

Chris Gauthier

Roger

Anthony Oseyemi

Anthony Oseyemi

Marcel

Vincent Gale

Vincent Gale

Clara's Boss

Paul Barry

Paul Barry

-

Philip Nee Nee

Philip Nee Nee

-

Peter Chelsom

Peter Chelsom

-

Tracy-Ann Oberman

Tracy-Ann Oberman

Pathetic Jane

Veronica Ferres

Veronica Ferres

Anjali

Chad Willett

Chad Willett

Alan

Ming Zhao

Ming Zhao

Ying Li

Mary Twala

Mary Twala

Grim Granny

Jakob Davies

Jakob Davies

Young Hector

Dean Paul Gibson

Dean Paul Gibson

Joyless Husband

Eileen Barrett

Eileen Barrett

Joyless Wife

Thorsten Wedekind

Thorsten Wedekind

Stressed German

Alexa Damián

Alexa Damián

Business Class Stewardess

Malcolm Boddington

Malcolm Boddington

Doorman

Gribunina Marina

Gribunina Marina

Passport Control

Ana Trujic

Ana Trujic

Economy Class Stewardess

Aaron Le

Aaron Le

Young Monk

S'Thandiwe Kgoroge

S'Thandiwe Kgoroge

Marie Louise

Sebelethu Bonkolo

Sebelethu Bonkolo

Baruti

Hannah Longworth

Hannah Longworth

Daisy

Aiden Longworth

Aiden Longworth

Jack

Jordan Schartner

Jordan Schartner

Evil Plane Assassin

Paula Antil

Paula Antil

-

Details

GenresAdventure, Drama, Comedy
Runtime1h 54 mins
Released on14 Aug 2014
Languageen
Age RatingR
Produced InCanada

Reviews

Reno

9/10

> Chase your life (dream), don't let it chase you away. A multinationally produced film product. The story as well won't take place in one place, but travels around the different continents. It is when 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' meets 'The Ultimate Gift'. A very inspiring theme, made by 'Serendipity' director which is his first film since last five years. Looks like it is his career best, at least in my perspective it is. The film talks about the different human moods, especially about the search for happiness as the title suggest. Being I am a movie fanatic, I won't watch great flicks every day. It is not easy to come by, sometimes I have to go through 5 movies, sometimes 10 and sometimes a month long wait. In my recent watch I liked so many flicks, but never considered them as my favourites until this one. Like I said its been months and I am super excited with this film. As usual, my nemesis, the critics led it to the box office flop. I am saying the same thing that it's definitely not suit for critics, but families (excluding kids) and mainly middle-aged people. It will be too early for children to understand the movie and there is a nudity, but no sex scenes. The old people can enjoy watching it, but won't inspire them like 'The Bucket List' did. > "Do you have any children, doctor? > My husband and I, it was our only regret. We couldn't. > But, you know what? It was bloody good fun trying." Usually for the western countries, self-discover means visiting India. We have seen movies like 'The Darjeeling Limited', 'Eat Pray Love' and many more that focuses on the similar subjects. This film gets rid of that so called cliche and goes ahead with different locations. The title character Hector goes for a such mission looking for happiness through self-discovery, meets different people and their cultures. Even he undergoes several life threatening situations and also meets his past (people) only to clear his head. Hector was a very fond of Tintin comic books, he kind of imagines that he's Tintin and his dog as Snowy, but there's no confirmation in this regard in the movie. The adventure he takes exactly depicts what Tintin stories do. Looks his mood was kind of affect since his childhood. In the opening scene, he loses his dog which represented his 'Happiness'. Also, where the 'Unhappiness' (probably his girlfriend in his real world) rose above and tailed him since. These are simply my theory considering unexplained things or trying to crack down the hidden messages. I won't deny that some of the ideas were borrowed from the other flicks. It might not be as fancy as 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty', but it had some of its own great momentum like, laughs, craziness, emotions, romance and adventures. I have not seen Simon Pegg's all the movies, but in this he was never seen before avatar. I'll definitely remember it for him as long as I'll be in this film watching business. I was expecting his usual comedy, but I was absolutely blown away for witnessing an uplifting movie. If you focus deeply on the narration, you could virtually experience passing through all those provinces shown in the film. Definitely one of the top 10 films from the year 2014. I highly recommend it, certainly a must watch. 9/10

All Trailers

Hector and the Search For Happiness Official US Release Trailer #1 (2014) - Simon Pegg Movie HD