In suburban Massachusetts, middle-aged Will (McKay) finds his parents missing, along with their vintage Winnebago, christened The Leisure Seeker. His sister Jane (Maloney) is also in the dark. Indeed, Ella and John (Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland) have run off to avoid any more doctors' appointments. And Ella has a plan to drive to Key West so retired literature professor John can finally visit the home of his favourite author, Hemingway. The hitch is that Ella isn't well and John's short-term memory is gone, which leads to a series of adventures and crises.

The script never leaves anything to chance, pointing out every story element as the characters announce their thoughts and intentions. Even Mirren and Sutherland struggle with this, but manage to add a layer of discovery beneath obvious frustrations and nostalgia. They also make Ella and John complex, likeable, relentlessly curious people who are enjoying their odyssey. Their interaction in the face of John's deteriorating condition is often deeply touching.

McKay and Maloney have a tougher time, as their characters exist mainly for exposition purposes. Maloney gets one terrific moment, but McKay's character seems wilfully vague, as if the filmmakers were afraid to admit something rather fundamental about him. Then along the road, Ella and John encounter a variety of colourful people who add interest and some spice. But no one ever feels terribly real; they're pawns in the screenwriters' game.

What makes this worth a look is the gentle exploration of a relationship that has been through ups and downs, including this debilitating illness, while a deep commitment to each other trumps any problems. Sometimes the movie wallows in its memories, as Ella and John put on family slide shows in campgrounds down the coast. And there are times when the complications feel rather contrived, as does the final act resolution. But Mirren and Sutherland make this a film that's impossible to write off.

themes, language, brief sexuality

3.Sep.17 vff