Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

The first must-see film of the year.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

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.

I saw a screening of this movie and I was a little disappointed. I wasn't expecting anything great, but based on what I heard I thought it was going to be a little better than it was. It just seemed as though they were going for some "shock" with the dialogue and the glow stick walk was supposed to be funny but it did not work. Actually it almost felt as though they were borrowing that scene from the Blake Edwards movie "Skin Deep". Near the beginning of the movie when they went out for dinner and they switched plates - that was cringe worthy. I was thinking "Oh god, please don't have them switch plates!!!". That scene seemed incredibly amateurish. I think it would be have been more interesting if they had the two characters interact with some people from Iceland a lot more. But even so, that Mitch character was pretty annoying. The scenery was nice though.

Greetings again from the darkness. Extra credit goes to the writer/director team of Martha Stephens and Aaron Katz for their indie spirit and unique character-driven adventure - a rare Iceland based comedy. The former Film School classmates bring color of personality and color of terrain to the forefront.Mitch (Earl Lynn Nelson) and Colin (Paul Eenhoorn) are former brothers-in-law, once married to sisters. The polar opposites are each battling loneliness and aging, and Mitch (the gregarious one) basically forces Colin (the reserved one) into a spontaneous vacation with him to Iceland. After this, we watch what amounts to a an AARP Road Trip Buddy film.Mitch's bravura masks his loss of purpose and fear of mortality, while Colin mostly just shakes his head at each vulgar thought spoken without filter by Mitch. Despite the obvious differences in personality, the two come across as real guys soaking up the adventure. While Colin enjoys his solo hike that ends with a dip in the hot springs, Mitch sips his scotch while pestering a honeymooning couple (one of which is played by well known cinematographer Ben Kasulke) with questions about their private time in the room. He means no harm, he just thrives on fun ... whether it's his or someone else's.Mitch and Colin have a definite on screen connection, and what makes this fascinating is that while Paul Eenhoorn is an established Australian actor, Earl Lynn Nelson is a real life retired surgeon who has only recently begun acting. Mr. Nelson's comfort in front of the camera is obvious whether he is telling his much younger cousin she has a "hot ass", or toking on weed at the hotel. Many long time actors would have struggled in this role, but Nelson ... while not always likable, leaves no doubt about his search for fun.Other than the two lead actors, the landscape of Iceland is a key to the look and feel of the film. The panoramas are beautifully filmed, and if somehow a few people actually see the film, it would not be surprising is Iceland tourism spikes. Though the film offers no life lessons, and offers little in defense of "getting old sucks", this little senior citizen character study is a worthy entry into the "gray cinema" genre.

Land Ho! is the end product of a collaboration between indie co-directors Martha Stephens and Aaron Katz. It's a road movie about two ex-brothers-in-law who travel to Iceland on vacation in order to reinvigorate their lives after retirement. Mitch (Earl Lynn Nelson), a Kentucky surgeon, re-connects with Colin (Paul Eenhoorn), who long ago played French horn in an orchestra but later became a bank manager as well as internet entrepreneur with his ex-wife.The back story as to their mild estrangement is not important, but one gets the impression that it's Mitch (who pays for the trip) is attempting to cheer Colin up, following his divorce from his second wife. As it turns out, however, we later discover that Mitch has ulterior motives—that in fact, he too needs cheering up, as he's also having trouble dealing with retirement.Of the two characters, Mitch is the aggressive one, with Colin playing the passive 'straight man'. Some viewers may find Mitch's personality a bit grating as his comments are often fraught with crude sexual allusions (sometimes directly made toward women). When Colin mentions that he'd like to see an Icelandic lighthouse, Mitch remarks that lighthouses remind him of an erect 'cock' without the 'balls'. Colin, on the other hand, comes off as shy and perhaps slightly depressed. Nonetheless there's good chemistry between the two and Mitch, despite the intermittent vulgarity, has a kind side as well.After Mitch and Colin arrive in Iceland, they drive around in a rented Humvee and see the sights. Occasionally, outside characters intrude breaking up the monotony of their often long-winded but occasionally charming conversations (Mitch sticks to his emphasis on sex; for Colin it's more about the movies he likes). Early on, the two meet up with Mitch's cousin (once removed) and her friend, two Ph.D. students, who just happen to be traveling to Reykjavík , following a stopover in Greenland. The meeting culminates in Mitch's cousin ending up passing out after drinking too much at a local disco.There isn't much more to tell about 'Land ho!' The high point of any conflict between the principals occurs after Mitch convinces Colin to join him taking a midnight stroll on the barren tundra without flashlights, with Colin ending up expressing his frustration with Mitch, who he regards as pushy and self-absorbed. There is very little developed here in terms of a plot that has any tension or characters with any developed or discernible arcs. While both Mitch and Colin are in Iceland to get their "groove back," aside from that, the stakes aren't high enough to suggest anything more than a pleasant, road movie, where nothing leads to any kind of memorable climax. Perhaps the real star of 'Land Ho!' is the beautiful, Icelandic countryside, filmed in high relief, on two expensive digital Red One cameras!