Review of The Leisure Seeker (2018) by Joan E — 22 Mar 2018

I saw "The Leisure Seeker" at the Michigan premier, with author Michael Zadoorian interviewed afterwards. This movie, while not perfect, is getting an underserved bad rap from critics. It's, as the AARP would say, a movie for adults and young critics aren't going to appreciate its value.

It's based on a wonderful, touching book, and Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland do a fabulous job of capturing the characters. Ella, herself suffering from terminal cancer, is fiercely protective of her husband, John, who has dementia. She decides to sneak away in their battered old camper for one last adventure, against the advice of children and doctors.

I saw the film with a friend whose husband has dementia, and it indeed comes and goes in varying degrees, as depicted. John's long-term memory is intact, and he can ramble on to baffled waitresses about Hemmingway, in which he was a specialist. However, at times he is confused about his wife's identity and forgets the names of his children. He is plagued with long-ago memories of an old boyfriend of Ella's. At times she is loving and patient, and at other times Ella wants to strangle him.

Some of their adventures are a bit too comic and over-done, and John's stumbling into a Trump rally unfortunately dates a movie that could have taken place at any time. But much of it is sweet and moving. John and Ella's grown children are portrayed as panicked and confused by their parents' seemingly thoughtless road trip, and their helplessness is realistically portrayed.

The novel takes place in Detroit, with the road trip on Route 66 to Key West. The movie changes the location to Massachusetts, and not on Route 66. The author (and the Michigan audience) didn't see a reason to change the Midwest sensibility of the story to the east coast. But that's a small complaint. If you appreciate a mature theme, good acting, and a real movie, try to find The Leisure Seekers.