Review: 'Land Ho!' will leave you smiling
- Critic%27s review%3A 3 stars
The road-trip comedy is well-traveled territory, especially in indie films. But there's something unexpectedly refreshing about "Land Ho!"
Two ex-brothers-in-law — one free-spirited and crude, the other introspective and soft-spoken — travel to Iceland with the mission of, as the boisterous Mitch (Earl Lynn Nelson) puts it, "getting their groove back." Quiet Colin (Paul Eenhoorn) has just been through a second divorce and is in need, it would seem, of cheering up.
Directors Aaron Katz and Martha Stephens spend nearly all of the film's 95 minutes locked in conversation with the two retirees. Deep conversations about lost love and life are inevitable, but Mitch is never far from finding a phallic joke to make or a beautiful young woman to gawk over. Considering the number of geysers and attractive youths in Iceland, it's not difficult for him.
The screenplay, which Katz and Stephens also co-wrote, is genuine but can be a little tiresome. If you were to spend an hour and a half with Mitch and Colin in the real world, you'd probably leave a little droopy-eyed — but still smiling.
The film's backdrop, however, will wake you back up. Iceland's black-sand beaches and the misty mountains provide a gorgeous setting, and the film's crisp feel belies its low-budget genre. Cinematographer Andrew Reed's work belongs alongside National Geographic documentaries.
Though it would be tempting to draw a parallel between the two leading men and the powerful but reserved Icelandic backdrop softened by mist and fog, the movie doesn't dwell on it. Instead, the camera stays focused on two mates hanging out.
"Land Ho!" does stumble into a few cliches. From the start, the two friends seem destined to have a falling-out, though the "breakup" is done in a clever and well-shot scene with a pair of glow sticks.
Elsewhere, Mitch and Colin are joined by a few banal, but appreciated, friends on screen. Mitch's cousin and her friend happen to be traveling through the area. They drop in for a dinner and some nightclubbing, but the audience's main interest is still Mitch and Colin.
The chemistry between Nelson and Eenhoorn is endearing. They bicker like a married old couple and choke back tears of laughter while taking touristy photos and doing their best Harry and Lloyd impressions from "Dumb & Dumber."
Mitch's dirty mouth and mind — and the resulting bathroom and sex jokes — keep the film from falling into maudlin territory. The marijuana-smoking retired doctor isn't afraid to flirt with young women, and he makes what might be a tired plot feel young.
"Land Ho!" will leave you feeling better about growing old — or eager to book a flight to Iceland.
Review: 'Land Ho!,' 3 stars
Directors: Aaron Katz and Martha Stephens.
Cast: Paul Eenhoorn, Earl Lynn Nelson, Karrie Crouse.
Rating: Rated R for some language, sexual references and drug use.
Note: At Harkins Camelview 5.
Reach the reviewer at hmolski@republicmedia.com or 602-444-8036.