Sony Pictures Classics
The thing about old men out on the open road is they don’t do a lot of eating, praying and loving in the way we’ve come to see it done in the modern sense of traveling. It’s more like they do a lot of finding the nearest roadside diner, complaining that gas prices are too damn high and pretending not to be too impressed by some national monuments. You’ve spent enough time in the back seat while Dad’s trying to navigate without a map to understand as much.
But that doesn’t mean that old dudes don’t want to cut loose and take a trip that’s really about focusing on themselves every once in awhile. It’s healthy to get a little rest and relaxation here and there, especially when you’re curmudgeonly – something’s got to fuel that. So in the first trailer for Land Ho!, we’re treated to the best-laid vacation plans of octogenarian buddies Colin (Paul Eenhoorn) and Mitch (Earl Lynn Nelson), an odd couple who are going to take Iceland by storm, whether one of them likes it or not.
After Colin’s wife passes away, Mitch – clearly the fun friend if you measure your funometer by the wackiness of shirts – tries to cheer him up with a once in a lifetime opportunity: they’ll go on a guy’s trip to Iceland, first class, where they’ll see “the hot springs, the juicy lobsters, the gorgeous broads.”
“I don’t like lobster,” Colin responds. Ahhhh I get it!
Off they go, with a sense of adventure and no real plans in mind. It’s just a good time for both, and they’re clearly making the most of their retirement by galavanting through the greenery, hitting up what’s probably their first rave (the sight gag of the two using their glowsticks to light their way home in the dark while lost is a nice touch), flirting with those beautiful broads whenever they get the chance and swimming in some truly envious hot springs. Who even needs lobster when you’ve got your best friend at your side?
Check out the trailer below:
The film, written and directed by Martha Stephens (Pilgrim Song) and Aaron Katz (Cold Weather) looks like the best kind of buddy road trip comedy. There’s no pressure to do anything besides hang out and explore why it is that they’re friends. There’s no wacky mishaps to be had or farfetched antics happening out on the road; it’s sweet and full of joy without having to rely on anything crazy.
But the best part of the trailer is how the movie doesn’t appear to resort to jokes about the men being elderly for its humor. This isn’t about two guys taking down their bucket list, one interaction with a feisty Icelandic broad at a time; it’s just some time away from home.
Land Ho! is in theaters July 11th.
