John (Donald Sutherland) and Ella (Helen Mirren) find heaven on their road trip to old age.
THE LEISURE SEEKER
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
Sometimes it takes an outside eye to see the truth of a situation.
In the case of “The Leisure Seeker,” Italian director, Paolo Virzi, captures the American dilemma of aging and of marriage in our culture.
On the surface, John and Ella Spencer (Donald Sutherland and Helen Mirren) are perfect for each other. They appear to enjoy all the privileges of being secure financially and socially.
During their road trip from Wellesley, Massachusetts, down the coast to Key West, Florida, we get to look under the hood of their marriage, its dynamics, and what has held their marriage together for nearly 50 years.
He is a successful, distinguished college professor, and she is the warm, gregarious wife and mother of their two children, a boy and a girl, Jane and Will (Janel Moloney and Christian McKay).
However, in a culture that is voraciously competitive, even the slightest of weaknesses can be seen as an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
How does love express itself in such an environment?
When Ella was pregnant, the beautiful, next door neighbor (Kirsty Mitchell) takes advantage of the situation, and the neglected, husband, John, betrays the trust of his wife, Ella.
Lucky John, he is surrounded by women who love him, his wife, his neighbor and his daughter. Being the successful breadwinner, his future is protected, even in his current state of dementia.
Dementia has never been so charming thanks to Donald Sutherland. John lives in the present, with no judgement of situations or of people. He seems to enjoy every moment, whether he is in a crummy rest home or a Trump rally or at Hemmingway’s last home.
His moments of lucidity are few and far between. But, he is endearing in every situation.
I recently watched “Milton’s Secret,” which also stars Donald Sutherland as a benevolent grandfather, who steps into the life of his grandson, with the wisdom and grace of an American baby boomer.
That movie has a very different perspective. In “Milton’s Secret,” granddad is totally independent and is a good problem solver. He is in, helps solve some problems, and then he leaves, before he becomes a burden.
I have to congratulate Sutherland for his many recent portrayals of aging American men. He also recently tackled the role of John Paul Getty, in “Trust” a new FX series, which began on March 25th.
Back to “The Leisure Seeker,” how does Ella keep John interested?
She has this story of her first love, who mythically fawned over her in an effort of win her love. She gives her husband a competitive bar to reach.
Dick Gregory has an interesting cameo as her first love, who is now in a crummy rest home. No accident that he is Black, the American standard of virility.
Helen Mirren does have her moments as Ella. The most striking is when she scares off two young thieves with her gun, telling them, “We’ve got nothing to lose!” She exhibits her strength of character that has made her a winner throughout her marriage.
How do their children turn out? Their daughter, Jane, is the successful one. She marries, becomes a college professor, just like dad, and has two children as well.
John and Ella’s son, Will, loses at the game of life. He is gay, which prevents him from openly having a normal life.
So, he devotes himself to taking care of his aging parents, always feeling less loved, less appreciated, and a victim of less self-esteem.
The problem of parents getting older in a competitive society, is that they can no longer maintain their independence.
In America, aging parents are a burden, worth more dead, than alive.
The conclusion is that Americans are no good at leisure. They need to be independent, active and useful.
This is not just an American dilemma. In Italy, by 2024, it will already have more than 1 million people over the age of 90.
And, worldwide, the elderly will form an increasingly large proportion of the population in most countries.
In America, if you do not have money, if you do not have good health, you might find yourself doing what John and Ella end up doing.
Brace yourself for the big event, because we will all get there eventually.
Italian director, Paolo Virzi’s Bio:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paolo_Virz%C3%AC
Actress Kirsty Mitchell Bio:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirsty_Mitchell
Milton’s Secret 2016 – full movie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waSZXgD1Fmc
Helen Mirren, Ella, and Donald Sutherland, John, sit beside their “leisure seeker,” an aging RV that has seen its day.
3/26/2018 # The Leisure Seeker