Reviewed by Victor Rebikoff.
Director: Paolo Virzi, Rai Cinema & Sony Pictures, M 112 Minutes.
Italian director Paolo Virzi’s first English language feature film is based on Michael Zadoorian’s novel of the same name that tells the touching story of two elderly people in their 80s (in failing health) on their final road trip.
Ella (Helen Mirren –‘Hitchcock’) and her husband John Spencer (Donald Sutherland –‘The Hunger Games’) are grey nomads determined to escape from their doctors and children by driving off in their vintage campervan called the Leisure Seeker on a long road trip.
Without any notice to the children their sudden departure causes consternation with their highly-strung son,Will (Christian McKay –‘Crooked House’) and to some degree their good-natured daughter Jane (Janel Moloney –‘Concussion’), both extremely concerned with their deteriorating health situation.
Once underway, their destination is the Florida Keys house of Ernest Hemingway (worshipped by John as a literary teacher), only to discover obstacles along the way including numerous distractions – not least being the changing nature of John’s Alzheimer’s condition.
After stopping at various caravan parks and enjoying their collection of slide evenings showing off their children at different stages of their childhood, they complete their journey of discovery by finally arriving at Hemingway’s celebrated home.
At this point Ella’s health begins to decline rapidly.
Leaving hospital with John’s help and without telling him her plan, she decides to pursue a course of action considered unedifying in the final stages of anyone’s life.
One cannot help being critical of Virsi’s adaptation of Zadoorian’s book to the big screen, especially after casting movie legends Mirren and Sutherland in the lead roles of Ella and John.
Despite their difficult portrayal of their characters. the performances of the leading actors are considered particularly poor and unconvincing, prompting one to question what would have motivated them to take on such unconventional roles.
Apart from some brief moments of enjoyment it is the sad storyline (set during the 2016 US Presidential election), combined with the unsavoury but unpredictable conclusion that makes this movie a somewhat unpleasant viewing experience.
Vic’s Verdict: 2 Stars
