The Leisure Seeker
4 min read
The Leisure Seeker is a 2017 comedy-drama film directed by Paolo Virzì, in his first full English-language feature. The film is based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Michael Zadoorian. It stars Donald Sutherland and Helen Mirren, acting together for the first time since the 1990 film Bethune: The Making of a Hero.[2][3] It was screened in the main competition section of the 74th Venice International Film Festival.[4] Mirren received a Golden Globe nomination for her work in the film.
Contents
- 1 Premise
- 2 Cast
- 3 Production
- 3.1 Development
- 3.2 Filming
- 4 Release
- 5 Reception
- 5.1 Box office
- 5.2 Critical reception
- 6 References
- 7 External links
Premise[edit]
Traveling in a vintage Winnebago recreational vehicle, John and Ella Spencer take one last road trip from Wellesley, Massachusetts to the Ernest Hemingway House in the Florida Keys before his dementia and her cancer can catch up with them.
Cast[edit]
- Donald Sutherland as John Spencer
- Helen Mirren as Ella Spencer
- Janel Moloney as Jane Spencer
- Kirsty Mitchell as Jennifer Ward
- Robert Pralgo as Phillip
- Christian McKay as Will Spencer
- Dick Gregory as Dan Coleman
- Mylie Stone as Emily Ward
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
The film reunited director Paolo Virzì with producers Fabrizio Donvito, Benedetto Habib, and Marco Cohen from the Indiana Production Company, since their collaboration in Human Capital and Like Crazy which also won many festival awards. It is also the director’s first film shot solely in English.[citation needed]
Sutherland and Mirren had previously collaborated as a married couple in the Phillip Borsos directed China-set saga, Bethune: The Making of a Hero,[5] and this is their first film together for 27 years.[citation needed]
Filming[edit]
Principal photography for the film began in July 2016 in Atlanta, where the crew’s cars were damaged on set by flooding.[6] A casting call for extras was sent out,[7] and filming also took place in Stone Mountain and Dunwoody, Georgia.[citation needed] Other important scenes included Jekyll Island, Georgia, US 1 in Key West and the Hemmingway House in Key West, Fla. Fisherman’s Hospital is located in Marathon, Florida.
Release[edit]
The film, based on the novel by Michael Zadoorian, is being sold at Cannes by BAC Films, which will also handle international sales and distribute the film in France, while CAA will co-represent North American rights.[8] On August 30, 2017, Focus Features acquired the UK rights to the film.[9] It was released on March 9, 2018.
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
The Leisure Seeker grossed $3.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $14.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $17.8 million.[1]
Critical reception[edit]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 36% based on 98 reviews, and an average rating of 5.1/10. The website’s critical consensus reads, “The Leisure Seeker certainly doesn’t suffer from any shortage of acting talent, but it’s largely squandered on a predictable, diffuse drama with little to say.”[10] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating “mixed or average reviews.”[11]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
- The Leisure Seeker on IMDb
- The Leisure Seeker at AllMovie
- The Leisure Seeker at Box Office Mojo
