140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW
Note-perfect movie of the sort seldom made; genuine older characters played not for laughs (although they’re riotous) but as real humans…
Spoiler-free Movie Review of Land Ho!:
Land Ho! is a marvelous picture; an absolute joy to watch and reflect on, as it does stick with you. Technically speaking, I guess you’d have to classify it as a buddy comedy, but that sells it short, even if it does follow some of the genre’s conventions.
The film follows a pair of former brothers-in-law whose friendship has dulled in the wake of the death of one sister and the divorce of the other. Australian actor Paul Eenhoorn plays Colin, a reserved and charming retiree and widower, reeling from the dissolution of his second marriage. His friend Mitch (Earl Lynn Nelson), a human spark-plug, surprises him by booking them both for an adventurous trip to Iceland.
Following these two around is simply a blast. There are some similarities to the quieter road trip films like A Walk In The Woods, but it brings to mind nothing so much as the 2010 Steve Coogan / Rob Brydon comedy The Trip, with nearly as many movie references as that picture.
It probably goes without saying that the scenery of Iceland, with locales such as Reykjavík, Skógar, Jökulsárlón, Landmannalaugar, Gullfoss, Strokkur, and Blue Lagoon, is breathtaking. Too bad – I’m saying it anyway. Iceland is one of the few destinations that could get this homebody to take his act on the road, and the setting is as appropriate for the story as it is enchanting. DP Andrew Reed does a nice job.
The pacing is slow but lively, perfect for an amble around a new country. The tone is exactly right. Interestingly, the picture came together very quickly; I read that it premiered at Sundance just over a year after conception. The entire shoot was only 18 days. This is the beauty of digital filmmaking, for all of its detractors – the filmmakers were able to use a couple of Red One cameras, allowing for a quick shoot that captured the natural settings, improvisation and very easy, genuine conversations and interactions. This is entirely to the benefit of the film, as it allows for a closeness and familiarity that makes the picture work so well. I want to hang out with these guys…
The co-writing & co-directing team of Martha Stevens & Aaron Katz have really created something special here. This isn’t a film about “old” people and their wacky ways. It is a charming, funny story about two old friends off on an adventure. The friends happen to be more advanced in age than protagonists in many pictures. There are no cheap laughs here. This is an engaging film about real humans, not caricatures, positive or negative. Very highly recommended.
Poster:
Trailer:
Bechdel Test:
Pass
The Representation Test Score: B (9 pts)
(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)
[schema type=”movie” url=”http://www.sonyclassics.com/landho/” name=”Land Ho!” description=”Back when they were brothers-in-law, married to two sisters, MITCH (Earl Lynn Nelson) and COLIN (Paul Eenhoorn) were close friends, but they drifted apart as Mitch and his wife divorced and Colin’s wife died. Now Mitch, a retired surgeon who can’t quite admit to being retired, recruits a reluctant Colin on a holiday to Iceland – just the ticket to perk up a pair who have endured their share of disappointments but still have a spirit of adventure in them.
Brassy, relentlessly cheery, and prone to colorfully profane language (“…this is so delicious it’s like angels pissin’ on your tongue!”) Southerner Mitch is the live wire of the duo. Colin, a more reserved Australian, is picking up the pieces after a second marriage gone sour. For both men, aging, loneliness, and disenchantment are silent adversaries to be countered with gumption.
Women are much on the radar during their travels: in upscale Reykjavik, they hit the nightclubs with Mitch’s much younger first-cousin-once-removed ELLEN (Karrie Crouse) and her friend JANET (Elizabeth McKee), who happen to be traveling through at the same time. Even though Mitch, who is something of a Dapper Dan, disapproves of the unrevealing outfits worn by the ladies (Ph.D candidates both), a good time, of sorts, is had by all.
As their rented SUV pilots them deeper into the Icelandic hinterlands, Colin and Mitch encounter fellow adventurers, get on each others’ nerves, play movie trivia games, get lost on the moonless moors, grouse about their sons, smoke pot, speak of regrets, and marvel at Iceland’s otherworldly beauty. The vast, haunting landscapes – moss-coated cliffs, fog-shrouded mountains, geothermal pools – form a primordial Eden, the perfect backdrop for the friends’ escapades.
And as Mitch exclaims when Colin’s spirits flag, “Don’t get that Sunday afternoon attitude – good times are still a-comin’!” – a testament to the fact that joie de vivre can replenish us at any age.” director=”Martha Stevens & Aaron Katz” actor_1=”Paul Eenhoorn” ]
| Main Cast | Earl Lynn Nelson Mitch Paul Eenhoorn Colin Daníel Gylfason Rental Car Employee Þrúður Kristjánsdóttir Hotel Restaurant Waitress |
| Rating | R |
| Release Date | 2014 |
| Director | Aaron Katz, Martha Stephens |
| Genres | Adventure, Comedy |
| Plot | A pair of former brothers-in-law embark on a road trip through Iceland. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 95 |
| Tagline | Come party with these guys! |
| Writers | Aaron Katz, Martha Stephens |
| Year | 2014 |