Passageiros da Vida

Two aging ex-brothers in law - the extroverted, lovable and slightly embarrassing Mitch, and the more introverted, sad-sack Colin take off for a getaway to Iceland. Their adventures are low key and episodic, but the comic rapport between the two men makes it hard to stop smiling.

There's no big catharsis or lesson learned, no moment when the smiles turn to tears, nothing that screams 'important movie'. Just an enjoyable hour and a half spent with two eccentric old guys finding themselves and each other on the road in a strange place.

The film looks very nice for it's tiny budget, and the two lead performances by Earl Lynn Nelson (a surgeon in real life) and Paul Eenhoorn (an accomplished Australian actor) create a fun naturalism that feels as authentic as if it was all improvised, with us just listening in on these two quite lovable older men.

This is definitely a context film. In the context of great works of film and Oscar performances - not so much. In the context of how I imagine my adventure travel in my 70's - spot on. I will recommend this to two of my buddies whom I hope to make similar trips with in our later years. Mitch and Collin are two characters who I can see myself alluding too for many years to come on various tourist trips into parts unknown.

I watched this on an international flight and the woman in front of me asked what I was watching because she kept hearing me giggle in my seat.

I took the title of this review from the 1976 Jethro Tull album, which is an appropriate time period for this movie because Mitch and Collin, the two main characters in this movie, appear to be either pushing 70 or in their 70s like many boomers. Mitch was a doctor. Collin was a bank manager. Neither is working any longer. Both are now divorced. And alone. The two were married to a pair of sisters, which makes them ex-brothers-in-law but more important, old friends. It's giving nothing away to tell you that the movie spends five minutes in Kentucky and the rest of the time in Iceland.

This is a road trip movie that follows a set pattern. It starts sort of rocky, gets into a swing, there's a trumped up moment that drives the characters apart, then there's resolution. It seems like every road trip movie is written this way. Only the surprises differ. In this movie, there's a third main character that never speaks. It's the incredible geography of Iceland, which Mitch and Collin explore throughout the movie.

This is an enjoyable film, which looks lightly at some of the issues associated with growing older that many baby boomers just like Mitch and Collin face today. See the world through Mitch's and Collin's eyes and you'll feel a bit better about the journey. Better yet, buy two first-class tickets to Iceland like they did.

Land Ho! is an endearing comedy-drama, marketed to the pensioners/AARP crowd, which normally gets left out of the Hollywood/mainstream buzz. It emerges following a very similar film, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which, in a way, proved to American audiences that you can make a film involving elderly people that isn't so fixated or concerned with imminent death. That film gave life to the senior citizens crowd, invigorating audiences with the idea that just because you're a senior citizen doesn't mean, in turn, you must stop living life. As common sense of a statement as that seems to be, I feel many people have forgotten that and feel something of an obligation, or perhaps a lack of desire, to refuse to live their elder years past three meals a day, the newspaper, and excessive quiet-time.

The film revolves around ex-brother-in-laws Colin (Paul Eenhoorn) and Mitch (Earl Lynn Nelson), who reunite after years of lost contact to spend some time reclaiming their youth by visiting Reykjavík nightclubs and taverns. The two geezers are polar opposites, as you'd expect, with Colin being very mild-mannered and reserved and Mitch being quick to tell you what body part of a woman he'd make use of the most. The two spend much of their travels inciting aimless conversations about women and sex, eventually picking up two women and going drinking with them one night, along with trying to leave the ills of the past as someone else's responsibility. They weren't necessarily responsible for the demise of the marriage, and they simply want to enjoy some element of adventure and companionship before their inevitable fate.

This kind of life-affirming cinema for elderly people is a beautiful and honest way to paint the picture for people that glory days aren't always the days of your youth. Colin and Mitch engage in some activities I'm sure no one expected them to, and while they weren't the youngest at the nightclubs, or the souls with the quickest wit on the street, they still no less had a pleasant time with one another and found more happiness in that moment than if they would've spent it alone.

Land Ho! is a relatively low-stakes film and it operates on a very safe playing field. Much of it is predicated off of these aforementioned conversations that feel like talk of momentarily horny old men who haven't had sex since the last solar eclipse. It's meditative and humble style of filmmaking, in addition to the frequently beautiful photography of the Iceland region, is reminiscent of David Gordon Green, which makes it no surprise that he appears as one of the film's producers. In addition, the way cinematographer Andrew Reed decides to capture Iceland, through beautiful, wide-angle shots sets to melodic tunes of yesteryear, makes Land Ho! is a decidedly peaceful movie-going experience, even with all the camaraderie occurring.

With that, the writing/directing team of Martha Stephens and Aaron Katz craft a film that works because of how real it feels, although it misses the opportunity to have the two characters engage in more heartfelt discussions about topics of a little more sustenance. However, its evasion of that is also part of its charm. This is a film about embracing one's willingness to continue celebrating life even when society says that you should simply sit down and live your life in solitude. By going out, drinking, smoking, and engaging in their own adventures, the characters of Colin and Mitch beautifully rebel against societal conventions and their own eccentric personalities make for a slight, well-made little doodle of a film.

Starring: Paul Eenhoorn and Earl Lynn Nelson. Directed by: Martha Stephens and Aaron Katz.

Imagine your ex-brother-in-law invites you on a trip to Iceland: first-class air tickets, nice hotels, good restaurants, a comfortable rented van. Now imagine your ex-brother-in-law is a dirty old man, obsessed with younger women, who spouts unwanted unsolicited advise, and is a generally all around annoying person. Unfortunately, Colin, portrayed by Paul Eenhoom, failed to remember those facets of Mitch, played by Earl Lynn Nelson, and ended up spending far too much time in his company. The audience will also find they have spent more time than necessary with Mitch, who may have a generous heart, but is a boorish companion. Written and directed by Aaron Katz and Martha Stephens, "Land Ho" is described as a road trip movie, but the film, which is short on road and long on talk, could be more aptly compared to "My Dinner with Andre" than to "Easy Rider," although Mitch does like to inhale regularly.

Obviously shot on a low budget, perhaps as a labor of love, the film is somewhat amateurish, the acting seemingly non-professional, and the writing unfocused. While set in glorious Iceland, the movie fails to celebrate the island's natural beauty. Instead, Mitch talks and talks, Colin listens and listens; the film might just have well cut the travel budget and been set in Ohio. Perhaps spending 90 minutes in the company of two elderly gentlemen, who share anecdotes and wisdom gleaned from their lives throughout a motor trip together, could have fueled an intriguing film. However, listening to Mitch impart silly advice to embarrassed newly weds, offer tips on dressing to an embarrassed niece, or graphically describe women to an embarrassed Colin wears thin. While "Land Ho" is earnest and not truly bad, the movie is overly talky, and the audience will leave both admiring the tolerant Colin for his infinite patience and hoping no ex-in-laws show up with similar offers of "free" travel.