Simon Pegg’s Elusive Journey in ‘Hector and the Search for Happiness’

Emily Manthei

Simon Pegg leads a cast of British heavyweights (Toni Collette, Rosamund Pike, Christopher Plummer) in Hector and the Search for Happiness, in a sharp deviation from the witty slapstick of his Edgar Wright material (Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End) and animated voice roles. In this adaptation of François Lelord’s novel, directed by Peter Chelsom (Serendipity, Hannah Montana, Shall We Dance?), Simon Pegg plays Hector, an unfulfilled English psychiatrist who embarks on a world-traveling journey to find out what makes people happy. The quest takes him on a tour of colorful developing nations, à la Eat, Pray, Love, as seen in the trailer. Rosamund Pike co-stars as his long-suffering girlfriend, left at home while Hector travels the world asking questions about happiness of the monks, street performers, and party animals he meets in Asia and Africa. But the film is not devoid of the light-hearted spirit of other Pegg vehicles, with misadventure and comedic misunderstandings following the shrink on his journey. Just how Hector manages to disarm the inevitable scrapes of the dramatic backpacking travelogue remains to be seen.

Last summer, Simon Pegg delighted audiences in the role of perpetually-drunken man-child-turned-hero in the apocalyptic comedy The World’s End, a more grown-up and heart-felt (if you can believe it) look at the character comedy roles he has developed since 2004’s Sean of the Dead, in which he and his friends are forced to confront a zombie takeover of London. But the self-described geek doesn’t always stick to comedic fare. His fanboy love of sci-fi has translated into roles in various Star Wars and Star Trek sequels and his loveable, man-child voice was featured in Ice Age: Continental Drift, The Adventures of Tin Tin, and The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

The big question this summer is whether this early fall release is being kept past its prime, as summer travel-and-feel-good movies tend to overstay their welcome by the end of August. The question that fans of the unconquerable Simon Pegg, one of the UK’s national comedic treasures, have is whether the star is capable of saving a film which seems to lack few other charms. Indeed, although the feel good vibes flow for the entire length of the theatrical trailer, the UK’s August 15th release of the picture failed to convince critics of its charm on the other side of the pond. Stateside, the film will soon have a second chance to entertain audiences.

Hector and the Search for Happiness will be released in theatres on September 19th via Relativity Media.