Review of Mission to Lars (2015) by Pratap T — 23 Mar 2013

Sometimes it seems a mission to Mars would have been the more straightforward option, as we follow Tom and his brother and sister on their quest to meet his idol. As their voyage winds on and frustrations mount up we are left wondering which of the siblings is actually the most fragile as frustrations mount up and and all three find themselves pushed closer and closer to the edge.

But charm runs throughout this film. There's the honesty with which they lay bare their dysfunctional family relationships. There's Lars, who reveals himself as a legend in more ways than one.

There's the warmth of the film's uplifting conclusion. Most importantly there's Tom, the unlikeliest of leading men, who engages throughout and comes across as a top guy who just happens to suffer from a chronic learning disability.

The story could easily have been over-sentimentalised, but this offbeat road movie tells it like it was. A funny, touching and grippingly real gem.