HECTOR AND THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS is an interesting little film that went under my radar last year and while it's not the greatest thing I've ever seen, it is a suitable vehicle for Simon Pegg that has a fair share of heart and laughs. Hector (Simon Pegg) is a psychiatrist who is going through the motions in life, so one day he decides to go on a trip to try and discover the secret(s) to happiness. While this concept is easily dismissible since happiness isn't some magic formula, the journey he goes on is at least enlightening to him and takes us on a whirlwind of emotion. My favorite part of the film is (quite obviously) Simon Pegg. He's just a really likable guy with a quirky sense of humor who brings his trademark wit to everything he does. Rosamund Pike also does quite well, even though she's relegated to appearing via Skype calls for the entire middle section of the film. There are also cameos by three different actors whose characters each provided a different approach to happiness. If you want know who they are, don't look at the cast list on IMDb and just watch the movie. I also thought that the film balanced drama and comedy quite well. What doesn't quite work is the convoluted nature of the plot and the contrived situations which Hector gets himself into. I'm all for a movie manipulating my emotions, but it has to do it cleverly. To its detriment, I don't feel like this film was that clever, bordering on cliché far too often. Ultimately, the conclusions the film draws are a combination of common sense and something you might find in a fortune cookie, i.e., nothing terribly profound. But, of course, not everything has to be profound. For what it's worth, I found HECTOR AND THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS to be a pleasant, if unchallenging, viewing experience that provided enough laughs and emotional moments to satisfy. If you're a Simon Pegg fan, then definitely check it out. For everyone else, it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.