1. Sandra Bullock could do this role in her sleep, but thankfully she’s dialed in.
Loretta Sage, like Joan Wilder before her, is someone who has found success in writing romantic adventure novels as a means of avoiding interaction with the outside world. And like Joan Wilder, Loretta finds herself in a plot worthy of one of her books. The Lost City showcases Sandra Bullock’s comedic range, from her emotionally reserved opening scenes to her annoyed confusion at her kidnapping to the overwhelmed panic of the chase scenes. It is great to see her at the top of her game, as it keeps the movie moving even during the overly CGI’d moments.
2. Channing Tatum is one of my favorite actors of this generation.
Dude was in Logan Lucky (2017), Magic Mike XXL (2015), Haywire (2011), Jupiter Ascending (2015), White House Down (2013), and Hail Caesar! (2016). Those are some iconic filmmakers to work with, and Tatum always brings vulnerability and a willingness to be the butt of the joke. In addition, he’s an incredible dancer and has deft comic timing. I’m glad that he’s back in movies after a brief hiatus. In fact, he has two movies in theaters right now between this and his directorial debut, Dog.
Dash, the cover model from Loretta’s novels, is a perfect role for Tatum, letting him showcase that insecurity, that vulnerability, that comic timing (and that ass. Covered with leeches. lol. –Ed.).
Tatum and Bullock are a perfect pair of movie stars for a movie like this, where so much of the believability of the film lies upon their charisma and ability to prop up the clunkier moments.
3. Brad Pitt gets the biggest laughs in the movie.
That being said, Brad Pitt as personal trainer Jack Trainer gets the biggest laughs in the movie. The script really digs into the tropes of celebrity-adjacent fitness and food culture, and Pitt sells his new age baloney with aplomb. I don’t want to spoil any jokes, and even mentioning his name above almost ruins a very good joke. But it should suffice to say that this movie is full of comedy veterans and he holds his own.
4. Yes, you’ll think about Romancing the Stone a lot.
Romancing the Stone (1984) is a better movie. It will outlive The Lost City. However, The Lost City can be way worse than that film and still be a very good, very funny film. And it is! And also, remember that we’re in the Marvel/Disney franchise hellscape of modern filmmaking. There’s no other movie like The Lost City on the docket for 2022.
Enjoy this one.
5. This is a minor pet peeve, but I hate how movies write about artifacts and relics.
I won’t spoil anything that wasn’t already in the movie trailer, but Daniel Radcliffe’s Abigail Fairfax kidnaps Loretta Sage because he is after an artifact and believes that she has knowledge that can help him find it.
He also buys an island and unearths an entire lost city. That’s a city lost to time and buried under lava. This alone would be a legendary discovery, the likes of which we rarely see in the modern world. But Abigail could not care less about a lost language, a disappeared people, or an ancient ruler’s tomb. He wants some jewels adorning a crown.
Indiana Jones did this stuff, and it has always annoyed me. This huge anthropological discovery is made and no one cares because they must have the golden statue and only the golden statue. The ancient traps, magnificent buildings, tombs? WHO CARES, GOTTA GET THAT ICE.
It is odd, especially in The Lost City, to have a character so obsessed with a historical people that they will dedicate their life to it, but then we learn that the only part of the whole civilization they really care about is a jewel. At least The Lost City has a bit of commentary on this idea. But Radcliffe’s character got dumber and more erratic out of nowhere near the end of the film, and this was almost certainly out of a need to give some stakes to the epilogue (easily the weakest part of the film).
Conclusion
All told, The Lost City is a firm recommend from us. It is funny, fun, charming, and is a standalone movie in a world of sequels. You should see it if only so that it makes money and maybe we get more individual movies in the future.