The Leisure Seeker

"‘The Leisure Seeker’ is an old campervan in which Ella (Helen Mirren) and her husband John, a retired English professor (Donald Sutherland), drive from Boston to Key West on a pilgrimage to visit Ernest Hemingway’s house. John has Alzheimer’s. Ella has cancer. Yup, all the ingredients for a morbidly sentimental old folks’ road trip, but with two fine actors firing on all cylinders the result is a contrived exercise in sentimental heartstring-tugging, saved by excellent performances and just enough good humour to keep things bearable."

"Not even two actors as talented as Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland can save this dreadfully predictable Alzheimer's road movie."

"There are quieter moments during which the glances between Sutherland and Mirren - containing memories better left unvoiced - suggest something worthier than the dreck they're trapped in."

"The sentiment is admirable; the execution decidedly is not."

"The Leisure Seeker isn't the sort of picture to start meddling with ... formula, but it sets about its business with a satisfying efficiency."

"A neither engaging nor infuriating look at dementia."

"Cluttered with clichés and stalled in softness, pot-holed by its self-serving use of Alzheimer's as a narrative convenience."

"A soggy East Coast road trip saga in which Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland valiantly pretend that rogue treatment of debilitating illnesses has its funny/endearing side."

"A funny and truthful look at growing old together."

"A road movie short on comedy and drama should at least offer a keen level of observation, but here insight is scarce and emotional resonance is faint."