Once again out of touch with critics, am I lost on The Lost City? Mildly amusing at best, but mostly derivative of other Romancing the Stone wannabes, there’s little new here. At 57, Sandra Bullock matured smoothly into such roles in Gravity, The Blind Side, and Unforgivable. Here, she reverts back to the silliness of Miss Congeniality with nothing different to offer. For those who assert the chemistry between her and 41 year old Channing Tatum, I suggest she has much more with 58 year old Brad Pitt, gone too soon from the screen. And, how dare the writers spoof romance novels, loved by millions around the world?
Loretta Sage is the author of a series of romance novels featuring Angela and Dash, lost in her grief for her husband, and extremely unhappy with the direction of her life. Even as she struggles to finish The Lost City of D, the much-hated book tour looms. A woman who wants respect for her brains despises that her audience wants to see Alan Caprison aka Dash rip off his shirt. Then, there is the hideous sequined outfit her publicist, Beth Hatton, forces her to wear. No one could be more miserable even as the less-complicated Alan tries his best to cheer her up. Dismissed by Loretta as a mere cover model, what can Alan do to gain her approval?
With that as a background, unless you hanker for the impressive jungles of the Dominican Republic, I suggest you wait for streaming. I give The Lost City 3.0 Gavels and it receives a 76% Rotten Tomatoes rating with a 6.8/10 IMDb score.
Plot
Abigail Fairfax, explaining that his name is gender neutral, kidnaps Loretta because The Lost City of D contains reference to where he might find a valuable necklace. Already, he’s spent untold millions looking for it. Determined to show his worth, Alan takes off to rescue her, only to be upstaged by a real Navy SEAL, Jack Trainer. Soon, it’s just Alan and Loretta crossing rivers and climbing cliffs to get away from Fairfax and his henchmen. Or, in romance novel terms, time for Alan and Loretta to curl up in a hammock and Loretta to rest her head on his bulging chest muscles.
Actors
Asked what movie she wished she never made, Sandra Bullock (Loretta) replies Speed 2. Made on a budget of around $70 million, will this be number two on that list? In my opinion, Channing Tatum (Alan) tries a little too hard but, like in Dog, that seems to be his schtick. Brad Pitt provides a bit of comic relief although I’m not sure why they did the mid-credit scene. Surely, there’s not to be The Lost City 2. Daniel Radcliffe is way over-the-top as Abigail. Besides, who thinks Abigail is gender neutral?
Final Thoughts
Since Bullock is a producer, she has only herself to blame for the outfit (below). It reminds me of all the complaints Batman actors make of the Bat-suit. Filmed from May to August, 2021, it looks mighty uncomfortable to traipse through the jungle. Then, maybe no worse than Radcliffe’s suit.
“Sometimes it works — let’s say 12 percent of the time — and The Lost City can actually be deft and imaginative. Unfortunately, that leaves 88 percent which doesn’t.” Boston Globe
“They built this ‘City’ on a flimsy foundation.” CNN.com
Snakes, leeches, waterfalls, The Lost City has it all. Unfortunately, it’s still just average.
