A pair of 60-something ex-brothers-in-law sets off on a road trip through Iceland, hoping to reclaim their youth in the new comedy “Land Ho!”. Their picturesque adventures, from trendy Reykjavík to rugged outback, are a throwback to classic road comedies as well as a candid exploration of aging, loneliness, and friendship.
Back when they were brothers-in-law, married to two sisters, Mitch (Earl Lynn Nelson) and Colin (Paul Eenhoorn) were close friends, but they drifted apart as Mitch and his wife divorced and Colin’s wife died. Now Mitch, a retired surgeon who can’t quite admit to being retired, recruits a reluctant Colin on a holiday to Iceland — just the ticket to perk up a pair who have endured their share of disappointments but still have a spirit of adventure in them.
Brassy, relentlessly cheery, and prone to colorfully profane language, Southerner Mitch is the live wire of the duo. Colin, a more reserved Australian, is picking up the pieces after a second marriage gone sour. For both men, aging, loneliness, and disenchantment are silent adversaries to be countered with gumption.
As their rented SUV pilots them deeper into the Icelandic hinterlands, Colin and Mitch encounter fellow adventurers, get on each others’ nerves, play movie trivia games, get lost on the moonless moors, grouse about their sons, speak of regrets, and marvel at Iceland’s otherworldly beauty. The vast, haunting landscapes — moss-coated cliffs, fog-shrouded mountains, geothermal pools — form a primordial Eden, the perfect backdrop for the friends’ escapades.
Critics and audiences are raving about “Land Ho!” The New York Times calls it “a delightfully funny road movie about two longtime friends.” The Wall Street Journal calls it “a breakout film in every way”, and Variety heralds it as “a gorgeous, joyous film”.