A elderly couple runaway from their boring life and go on journey in an old RV (Recreational Vehicle). They call it The Leisure Seeker. They recount their life together through out the journey. Helen Mirren plays Ella Spencer (the wife of John) and Donald Sutherland plays John Spencer. The supporting cast includes: Christian Mckay as Will Spencer, Janel Maloney Jane Spencer, Dana Ivey as Lillian and Dick Gregory as Dan Coleman.
It's 2016. A man walks into his elderly parents house. His Mom (Ella) and Dad (John) are gone. They have taken the Leisure Seeker, a big RV. They stop for petrol. Their children call them on the phone and want them back. John and Ella are in the RV and stop at a diner. John talks to the diner attendant about prose and poetry. Small scenes like this make this movie special.
They arrive at a picnic spot. They setup their Caravan, It's fun to watch them do it hehe. John wants a cup of tea. Ella refuses to get him one. She is suffering from migraines and takes pills. Later we discover that she has cancer. "The old contraption caravan works good" John says. John has Alzeimers, sometimes he forgets where he is and who he is.
This Alzheimers theme makes this film interesting and somewhat depressing. An ex student sees him and he recognises her much to the amazement of Ella. Later on he gets Alzheimers again and asks "where are the kids?" "They're at home" she says. He says he starts a sentence then doesn't know what he's talking about. On top of that Ella as cancer and is getting more and more symptoms. These scenes are quite sad. But their marital relationship is very inspiring during these scenes.
In one of the more funny scenes John drives off in the RV with Hawaiian music playing but he leaves Ella behind. Ella drives on a bikie's bike to catch up hehehe. John stops and picks her up. They then get stopped by a cop! He collect their details. John thinks about skipping and driving off hahaha, but Ella stops him.
In another cool scene they get a flat tire. They then get held up. They get asked for their wallets. Ella comes out of the caravan with a shot gun! She points it at the thieves. They drive off and leave them alone hahaha.
They visit Ernest Hemmingway's house and Ella gets lost. He finds her bag and then remembers that he has to find his wife.
"It's during scenes like this that you find out that they can't live without each other. These two people have a tremendous love for one another because of all the memories they've shared"These elements drive this film.
I won't spoil the rest of the movie but I will say that Hellen Mirren and Donald Sutherland put in powerfull performances reminiscient of their earlier movies when they were in their prime. This movie proves that some couples are mean't to be together forever. The leisure seeker RV was a part of their life and this caravan lifestyle helped keep them together. What a beautiful story. An inspiring 1hr 52min.