Why you should ... watch Hector and the Search for Happiness

A review.
category: film
name: Hector and the Search for Happiness
director: Peter Chelsom
release year: 2014

Netflix has a huge choice. Everybody knows that. And that means that if you're trying to decide what to watch, together with a few people, you can spend a very long time browsing through the film sections in different categories. My aunt eventually gave us an ultimatum: some romantic comedy that looked very, very kitschy or either Hector. And I am glad we chose the latter.
The psychiatrist Hector escapes his very ordinary, very organised life and goes on a very spontaneous  journey around the world. He meets lots of people, a mercenary business man (Stellan Skarsgård, you may know him from Mamma Mia or Thor) on the plane who takes him to a nightclub where he meets a beautiful woman for whom he falls very quickly. He makes the acquaintance of a wise monk who instructs him to tell him when he has found happiness.
In Africa he meets up with his old friend Michael and borrows a pen from an affluent drug boss to write down his latest insight about happiness. This pen later saves him from being shot after having been held in captivity for several days. He attends to a woman with a brain tumour on the plane on the way to L.A. where he visits his old flame. While having all these memorable experiences Hector's girlfriend Clara is still at home in London where she continues to live her life as before.
The cast is very convincing and well chosen. You can see the change in Hector that Simon Pegg portrays and Rosamund Pike as his girlfriend shows what he left behind.
Hector and the Search For Happiness is an uplifting, mostly (!) light hearted and inspiring film. You get a sense of wanting to do something, stepping out of your comfort zone, travel more, perhaps go on a little adventure.
Don't miss the chance to get inspired.

Au revoir, little biscuits *a little animated plane flying a looping*