The Leisure Seeker
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 Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland, acting together for the first time since the 1990 film "". It was screened in the main competition section of the 74th Venice International Film Festival. Mirren received a Golden Globe nomination for her work in the film. Production. Development. 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. Sutherland and Mirren had previously collaborated as a married couple in the Phillip Borsos directed China-set saga, "", and this is their first film together for 27 years. Filming. Principal photography for the film began in July 2016 in Atlanta, where the crew's cars were damaged on set by flooding. A casting call for extras was sent out, and filming also took place in Stone Mountain and Dunwoody , Georgia. Other important scenes included Jekyll Island, Georgia, US 1 in Key West and the Hemingway House in Key West, Florida. Fisherman's Hospital is located in Marathon, Florida. Release. The film, based on the novel by Michael Zadoorian, was sold at Cannes by BAC Films. On August 30, 2017, Focus Features acquired the UK rights to the film. It was released on March 9, 2018. Reception. Box office. "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. Critical reception. On  review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 37% based on 106 reviews, and an average rating of 5.17/10. 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." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews." Israeli researchers, Dr. Shlomit Lir and Prof. Liat Ayalon analyzed the film in comparison to the Israeli film, "Alaska". Based on the  two films they identified a model of liberty within the family at old age.