Paramount Pictures
Way back in 1984, Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner teamed up for the action comedy Romancing the Stone and struck gold. The film was a box office hit and led to the less successful sequel The Jewel of the Nile, a film that was hampered by a bad script. A film like that really needs a solid script, and great chemistry between the leads … and the fact that we don’t have more of that type of film shows just how difficult those things are to achieve (it could also have something to do with Hollywood’s inherent misogyny that proclaims women (a) aren’t action stars and (b) can’t do comedy). But will The Lost City rectify this situation?
The Lost City (formerly titled The Lost City of D which is still the title of the book within the film) is centered around romance author Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock). Loretta has a very specific type of romance novel that finds her hero Dash as a sort of Indiana Jones by way of Fabio character, traveling the world looking for lost artifacts and finding love. Loretta actually based her hero’s exploits on those of her and her husband, but now that he’s passed away she’s kind of lost her interest in continuing the adventures of Dash. But her publisher, Beth (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), has put everything she has into Loretta’s new book and forces her to do a book tour with Q&A sessions and Meet & Greets … with Alan (Channing Tatum), the handsome model who has graced all of the covers and who may also think he is Dash. Loretta clearly despises Alan and the notion that she has to go on a tour with him because the events always become about him and his shirt somehow flying off. And when she is asked by a fan to tear off his shirt, she obliges — rather violently — which ends with his shirt and his wig being torn off.
Loretta storms out of the hotel ballroom and calls for a car, but ends up getting into the wrong one and is transported to meet the obscenely wealthy Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe) — he claims the name is gender neutral — who she thinks is just a fan. But Fairfax has something to show her — a piece of parchment with symbols on it that she in fact had translated in her latest novel. Now he wants her to help him find the actual lost city of D and the crown jewels she described in her book. She refuses and is kidnapped, taken to the island where Fairfax has actually found the City of D — just the tip (yes, there are a couple of ‘dick jokes’ here) — but he can’t find the tomb and he needs her help before the volcano explodes and destroys the island. When Beth and Alan figure out Loretta is missing, Alan springs into action, suggesting the services of his trainer, Jack Trainer (Brad Pitt), to find her. But Alan decided to tag along, complicating things greatly, putting them all in danger … but getting major laughs along the way.
I rarely laugh out loud at a press screening with less than ten people in attendance. I barely chuckled during jackass forever and rewatching comedy films at home rarely produce the same results as seeing them with a large crowd (Rat Race is one such film that wasn’t nearly as funny at home as it was with an audience). So I was quite surprised and pleased that I found myself laughing out loud throughout the entire run time of The Lost City. The screenplay by Oren Uziel, Dana Fox, Adam Nee and Aaron Nee has taken everything that made Romancing the Stone so good and applied it here. And casting Sandra Bullock — who has been leaning more toward dramatic work lately after a string of comedies — was perfection. She’s got great comic timing, seriously one of the best comedic actresses of our time, and she makes it all feel natural. It’s never forced and her reactions to any situation are genuine. She’s not afraid to get dirty or look messy if it serves the character and the situation, and she has fantastic chemistry with Channing Tatum. This is the type of role she could do in her sleep, but even if it feels familiar Bullock still makes Loretta fresh and vibrant.
Speaking of Tatum, I don’t think he really gets enough credit in general. He’s played a variety of characters in a wide range of genres, but he always gets pegged as the pretty boy who can dance. Here he gets to really poke fun at that image, first as the totally self-absorbed and self-assured Dash who gives was to the incompetent but good-hearted Alan, who also shows some insecurity when the more Dash-like Jack shows up and turns Loretta’s head. And while Loretta thinks Alan thinks he’s Dash, it becomes clear through his demeanor and body language that Alan actually has feelings for Loretta, and he really gets to show a vulnerable side when she dismisses him as just a brainless model who no one would know if it wasn’t for her books. And Tatum also handles the physical comedy and action sequences with great skill. His chemistry with Bullock is undeniable.
Paramount Pictures
The supporting cast is also fantastic. Da’Vine Joy Randolph is great as Beth, serving up a Nicole Byer/Michelle Buteau vibe, with some very funny moments as she inserts herself into the search for Loretta. Brad Pitt is also a hoot but I can’t say too much about his role without spoiling things. Daniel Radcliffe is the perfect comedic villain, with just enough menace under the surface to make Fairfax dangerous, playing the character mostly straight-forward in the middle of all the comic shenanigans. Patti Harrison, Bowen Yang and Oscar Nuñez also contribute to the comedy in various ways.
In addition to the film’s terrific screenplay, it is also tightly directed by Aaron and Adam Nee. The keep the plot rolling along without any real dead spots, the comedy and action coming fast and furious while also giving Loretta and Alan time to bond. They wisely don’t allow Loretta to fall for Alan the second they can take a breather while hiding in the jungle from Fairfax’s people, their relationship developing over the course of the film. And by the end, they leave you wanting more. Everything works so well that it isn’t hard to see this developing into a series of films with Loretta and Alan … and a mid-credits scene may or may not suggest a follow-up film is already in the works with a character who may be holding a major grudge against the pair. If so, I’m here for it.
Often when you see a trailer for a film, a comedy film in particular, you realize upon seeing the full movie that you pretty much saw all the best stuff in those three minutes. I’m happy to say that The Lost City lives up to its trailer. With a great cast, a great comedy pairing of Bullock and Tatum, a fun plot, action, comedy and romance, this is the film we need right now to just take our minds off the ills of the world for a couple of hours.
The Lost City has a run time of 1 hours 52 minutes and is rated PG-13 for violence and some bloody images, suggestive material, partial nudity and language.
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