Some high-profile films in the recent past have spotlighted the challenges and difficulties facing elderly people or those afflicted with memory loss, such as Still Alice and Mr. Holmes.  These and others are now joined by the dramatic comedy The Leisure Seeker, in which an elderly couple undertakes a road trip in an RV for one final adventure.  The title refers to the name of the RV, not the people.

Paolo Verzi’s film follows Ella Spencer (Helen Mirren) and her husband John (Donald Sutherland) as they head south from Massachusetts in their RV.  John is fine driving the rig but he has trouble remembering much of his life; Ella keeps him out of trouble but is suffering from cancer.  Their trip toward Key West in Florida is designed to provide one last hurrah before some difficult decisions will have to be made.

The actors are the whole show, and they are excellent.  The screenplay, adapted from Michael Zadoorian’s novel, does an admirable job on two levels: depicting the frustrating, mundane details of living with dementia and terminal illness, while also inferring an overreaching arc that will bring these characters full circle.  It’s a sad story, for sure, but it is also delivered with humor and panache.  And for someone like me who has brief bouts of memory loss, this is also a bit of a horror story, a cautionary tale of awkwardness, frustration and emptiness which may yet come to surface.

Credit the production team for fashioning a movie that deals (mostly) honestly with a problem facing many people as they reach their twilight years.  The story’s ending will not satisfy everyone but it seems pretty sensible to me, given the circumstances.  It’s full of empathy — even when Ella and John are at odds — and finds humor in some awfully dark places.  I’m glad to have taken this trip with them.  ☆ ☆ ☆.  11 April 2018.