“Once upon a time, there was a young psychiatrist called Hector, who had a very satisfactory life. His world was tidy, uncomplicated…And he liked it that way. He took great comfort in its predictable patterns. Patterns his girlfriend Clara was happy to maintain…

Psychiatrist Hector (Simon Pegg) is content with his life, but realizes that he is not truly happy, and that he and long-time girlfriend, Clara (Rosamund Pike) are comfortable and set in their routines, but not truly happy. He has always been a bit of a child at heart, day-dreaming of adventures as a child with his dog, and doodling while listening to his patients talk about their problems. One day Hector finally breaks, and realizes that his patients are not getting any better and he feels like a bit of a fraud. So he decides to do something completely out of character and take a trip halfway around the world, trying to discover what makes people happy. Throughout his journey he keeps a journal, and asks people of all walks of life for their definition of happiness, hoping to unlock the secret that will allow him to be truly happy.

Hector’s journey takes him to China where he meets rich businessman Edward (Stellan Skarsgård), an attractive young Ying Li (Ming Zhao) and some Tibetan monks. He heads to South Africa where he meets up with an old friend doing aid work, crosses paths with a notorious drug manufacturer (Jean Reno), and finds himself in some real danger. He also heads to America where he seeks out the advice of an old flame (Toni Collette) and a professor (Christopher Plummer) who is studying happiness. Over the course of his journey Hector not old changes the lives of other but is also changed himself.

This film reminded me of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty in both premise and execution. While overall it is a drama about one man’s self-exploration, it is filled with humor and whimsical moments, as well as some adventure. While Hector doesn’t have surreal daydreams, we do see his drawings come to life, and some of the special effects (such as a rough plane ride) are done in a cartoonish way that match Hector’s childish curiosity.

Overall I really enjoyed the film—Simon Pegg delivers an excellent, charming and funny performance. The film is a great blend of humor, adventure and drama, and gets you to think about how you would define happiness.

If I had one problem point, it would be the parts of the film surrounding the character of Clara. While I enjoyed Clara and Hector’s unique relationship, and Rosamund Pike’s performance, I found the character to be uneven. She initally gives Hector her blessing for his adventure, but then seems upset and jealous that he is away. We witness Hector’s change over the course of the film, but we are supposed to believe that Clara, who doesn’t go through the same journey, has also had some kind of meaningful change by the end of the film. I don’t feel like Clara’s change by the end of the film was earned at all.
 

As for the DVD release, unfortunately Fox has decided to forgo an HD release for this title. For the most part, the DVD picture looks quite crisp and clear. However, in the opening moments of the film, which feature a bright yellow biplane in a cloudy blue sky, the picture gets a bit jaggy. The film itself is filled with many picturesque scenes, and it would have been great to see this on Blu-ray! The film’s audio track is excellent. The dialogue is clear, and the viewer is surrounded by the film’s delightful, ethereal score.

The bonus features on the disc include a director’s commentary, two behind-the-scenes featurettes and the theatrical trailer. What has been included is really great—I would have loved to see even more, such as deleted scenes or a gag reel.
 

What’s Included:

Film: (1:54:09)

DVD:
• 480p / Widescreen 2.40:1
• Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Extras:

• Around the World with Simon Pegg (10:06)
  The cast and creators talk about various aspects of making the film—blending comedy and drama, shooting in Canada, China, South Africa, and America, and working with an amazing cast. Includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with director/co-screenwriter Peter Chelsom, producer Judy Tossell, co-screenwriter Tinker Lindsay, co-producer John Albanis, and stars Simon Pegg (“Hector”), Rosamund Pike (“Clara”), Stellan Skarsgård (“Edward”), Ming Zhao (“Ying Li”), Barry Atsma (“Michael”), Toni Collette (“Agnes”) and Christopher Plummer (“Professor Coreman”).
• The Making of Hector and the Search for Happiness (7:19)
  The cast and creators talk about the plot, characters, casting, director, locations, and music. Includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with writer/director Peter Chelsom, producers Judy Tossell, Trish Dolman and Christine Haebler, author François Lelord, production designer Michael Diner, composer Dan Mangan, and stars Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgård, Jean Reno (“Diego”) and Ming Zhao.
• Commentary by Peter Chelsom (1:54:09)
  Co-writer/Director Peter Chelsom provides a thoughtful commentary throughout the film. He starts off by talking about what drew him to the project, and then he gets into details on how the specials effects were done, the differences between the film and the book, and more.
• Theatrical Trailer (2:25)
• Sneak Peek (10:08)
  Play All or select from trailers for The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Best of Me, Before I Go To Sleep, Wild, Relativity Explosion, Beyond The Lights, The Longest Week, and Birdman.

Final Thoughts:

Hector and the Search for Happiness is a delightful film about one man’s journey to find himself and discover the true meaning of happiness. While the film reminded of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, I still found it to be quite different. Simon Pegg gives a wonderfully charming performance. The film looks beautiful and is accompanied by an amazing score. The DVD contains an audio commentary by the director as well as a pair of interesting behind-the-scenes featurettes with interviews with the cast. This is definitely a film worth checking out.