“The Lost City” - Film Review
Prolific and reclusive romance novelist Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) has hit a wall. She’s trying to finish her latest book, but she’s been in a rut since her husband’s death five years ago. Loretta’s romance novels all have a treasure hunting and archaeological aspect to them because that was a passion she shared with her husband. Her publicist, Beth (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), calls her multiple times a day to remind Loretta that she needs to find an ending quickly.
Beth has planned a last-ditch book tour to make Loretta relevant again. She doesn’t believe Loretta can handle the pressure of a book tour on her own, so she brings along Alan, the books’ cover model (Channing Tatum). Alan believes he really is the fictional adventure hero he’s portraying, but in actuality, he has no skills that would help save the day for anyone. Also interested in Loretta’s latest book is eccentric billionaire Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe), who has been passed over in his family’s mega-media conglomerate. Abigail is consumed with having something all his own, and believes the key to the treasure he’s chasing is in Loretta’s latest book. He kidnaps her and plans to force her to tell him where the treasure is. Alan sees the kidnapping as his moment to live up to his fictional counterpart and calls real-life hero Jack Trainer (Brad Pitt) to aid in the rescue mission.
Paramount Pictures
So much of The Lost City ultimately feels flat, as if the life has been sucked out of every scene. Part of the blame falls on the over-utilization of Additional Dialogue Recording (ADR). When used sparingly, it’s difficult to notice ADR mixed in with the rest of the dialogue. In The Lost City, ADR was used too frequently, usually as a way to punch up the scene with attempts at jokes. It’s very noticeable throughout the film, but occurs most frequently in scenes with Loretta and Alan. Often, it’s as though Bullock and Tatum are reacting to entirely different lines and situations in the scene. Through no fault of their own, they are completely out of place as random snippets of dialogue are dropped ungracefully around them.
The movie truly shines where it spends almost none of its time: with Patti Harrison’s dimwitted social media manager, Allison. She was in 2021’s Together, Together, which was a critical darling on the indie festival circuit, but Harrison is not a household name. However, if nothing else, her tiny role steals the show. Similarly, Randolph’s Beth brings an electric energy to the screen. Perhaps the better movie here would have been the misadventures of Beth and Allison attempting to rescue Alan and Loretta. Sure, Beth makes an attempt to save Alan and Loretta, but bringing Allison along for the ride would have elevated this movie.
Despite billing itself as a return to the entertaining adventure-romance movies of the ’80s (it’s impossible not to think of Romancing the Stone), The Lost City was afraid to lose itself in eccentricity. The actors are never able to fully cut loose and just enjoy the ride. A rare moment that shows what the movie could have been occurs when Jack and Alan free Loretta from Abigail’s command base on the island. As they’re fleeing, Loretta is wearing a sparkly jumpsuit and sitting in a wheelbarrow pushed by Jack and Alan. Slow-motion explosions surround them as Pat Benatar’s “Shadows of the Night” plays. That energy should have been embraced and channeled to make the rest of the movie more exciting, but instead, the bulk of the script’s energy is wasted on tired sex jokes.
The ingredients for a return to a bygone genre are all here. The sweepingly epic score by Pinar Toprak, roguish hero Jack Trainer, damsel in distress Alan, treasure hunter Loretta, maniacal villain Abigail, and lovable sidekicks Beth and Allison. Whether it be from the abundance of ADR, the lack of chemistry between the leads, or the lack of high (or even moderate) stakes for the characters, the result is a movie that doesn’t quite hit the mark. It doesn’t leave a bad taste in the mouth, but it doesn’t inspire anyone to have seconds.
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