The Lost City is one of those movies that hopes to reignite a flame and love for escapist cinema through the romantically comedic action genre. I am sure there are people who will cry, “Rip Off!” after watching this movie. And that might be a fair thing to claim. However, I feel that the people who made this movie knew exactly what they were doing and were simply trying to recapture some lightning in a cinematic bottle. While this film isn’t an example of original filmmaking, it is still an enjoyable and entertaining romp that reminds audiences that movies can still be fun and allow us to escape from the often sad realities of the world.
Sandra Bullock stars as Loretta Sage, a mostly successful novelist whose romantic adventure books have captured the hearts of audiences worldwide. After having written multiple installments, Sage feels stuck in a rut, and lacks the joy she once had when she and her former love would attempt to create some real adventures of their own. After finishing her latest installment, the jaded Loretta has a bit of a meltdown during a promotional appearance with her cover model Alan Caprison (Channing Tatum). Alan, who isn’t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, relies on his work with Loretta for a career and his livelihood.
Following the debacle that occurs at the event, an off-kilter billionaire named Abigail Fairfax abducts Loretta to help him discover the lost city from her novel, which he believes really exists. Desperate to prove his worth, and enamored with Loretta, Alan takes it upon himself, with the help of C.I.A. agent Jack Trainer (Brad Pitt), to rescue her.
While I realize that this movie is very similar (in a lot of ways) to Romancing The Stone, I still had a great time with it. Written and directed by Aaron and Adam Nee, who co-wrote the film with Oren Uziel and Dana Fox, The Lost City is pure escapist, popcorn cinema that works because of the solid writing, solid direction, and the lovable performances by the cast. While the movie doesn’t break any new ground, everything works so well because of the great conception and execution by the filmmakers.
The humor and action are both key here and the Nee’s, their co-writers, and crew pull everything off rather well. Also, the cast is exceptional in knowing what works wonderfully. Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum are both an absolute joy to behold in this movie and work tremendously together.
As the villain, Abigail Fairfax, Daniel Radcliffe is so much fun to watch, as the often whiny and self-entitled brat who wants to make a name for himself. As Beth Hatten, Loretta’s publicist, Da’Vine Joy Randolph adds to comedy element as flustered and stressed out career woman driven to do what is necessary to salvage the whole debacle that is unraveling before her. In addition, Brad Pitt is also hilarious as tactical expert Jack Trainer. His straight-faced, unflappable performance had me laughing and smiling so much.
The Lost City was such a fun movie to experience at SXSW and I am absolutely sure that it will go over beautifully with movie fans now that it is available in theaters everywhere.