A new type of road movie.
It seems that the road movie has entered a new era, one in which the destination and the progression of the characters don't matter very much. I'm thinking of movies like The Trip to Italy, which features English funnymen Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. Their colorful personalities drive the film, not their adventures. Land Ho! is a similar type of movie.
Mitch (Earl Lynn Nelson) and Colin (Paul Eenhoorn) are ex-brothers-in-law. Mitch's wife died a while ago, and Colin is recently divorced. The two men are a study in contrasts: Mitch is a gregarious and randy retired surgeon, while Colin is a reserved musician turned accountant smarting from the dent alimony payments leave in his budget. The actors' performance styles are quite different, too: Nelson is a nonprofessional who relies on his charisma and personality, whereas Eenhoorn is a veteran actor who can convey as much with silence as with conversation. Mitch has decided to treat himself and Colin to a vacation in Iceland. Though Colin is reluctant to accept the gift, Mitch is the kind of guy who won't take no for an answer.
So it's off to Reykjavik, where Mitch, in another epic gesture of generosity, rents a huge Hummer for their trip to the countryside. First they go for meals in the city, where Mitch inappropriately hits on all the young women. Soon Colin's niece, who is backpacking through Europe with a friend, meets up with the men for dinner and nightclubbing. Once Colin and Mitch leave Reykjavik, the vistas and scenery become breathtaking and the men's encounters become largely forgettable. After 90 minutes or so, the movie just stops.
Co-directors Martha Stephens (Pilgrim Song, Passenger Pigeons) and Aaron Katz (Cold Weather, Quiet City) find lyricism in nature, but the film runs the risk of being mistaken for a picture postcard.
