Lost in America

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For other uses, see Lost in America (disambiguation).
Lost in America
Lost in america.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Albert Brooks
Produced by Marty Katz
Written by Albert Brooks
Monica Johnson
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Music by Arthur B. Rubinstein
Cinematography Eric Saarinen
Edited by David Finfer
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release dates
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  • March 15, 1985 (1985-03-15) (U.S.)
Running time
 91 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $4 million[1]
Box office $10,179,000

Lost in America is a 1985 American satirical road comedy film directed by Albert Brooks and co-written by Brooks with Monica Johnson. The film stars Brooks alongside Julie Hagerty as a married couple who decide to quit their jobs and travel across America.[2]

Plot

David and Linda Howard are typical 1980s yuppies in Los Angeles, California, dissatisfied with their bourgeois lifestyle.[3] He works in an advertising agency and she for a department store, but after failing to receive an expected promotion and instead being asked to transfer to the firm's New York office, David angrily insults his boss and is fired. David coaxes his wife to quit her job as well and seek a new adventure.

The Howards decide to sell their house, liquidate their assets, drop out of society, "like in Easy Rider", and travel the country in a Winnebago recreational vehicle.[3] They leave LA with US$100,000 but their plans change drastically when Linda loses all their savings playing roulette at the Desert Inn Casino in Las Vegas, where David desperately and unsuccessfully persuades a casino manager to give the money back as a publicity gimmick.

With nowhere to go, the couple quarrels at Hoover Dam, eventually arriving in small-town Safford, Arizona.[3] David unsuccessfully applies for a delivery job at a local pharmacy and resorts to an employment agency. After a counselor obnoxiously reminds him that he was fired from his high-paying job in advertising, David accepts the best position available — as a crossing guard, taunted by local schoolchildren.[3] Linda, meanwhile, finds employment as the assistant manager at the local Der Wienerschnitzel, working under a person half her age.

Only a few days after beginning their pursuit of the dream of dropping out of society, David and Linda are living in a trailer park,[3] nearly broke, and working dead-end jobs where they are accountable to brats. They decide that it is better to return to their old lifestyle as soon as possible. They point the Winnebago toward New York, where David begs for his old job back. An end card reveals he is rehired with a substantial pay cut but better dental care.

Cast

Brooks originally did not want to direct himself and had wanted Bill Murray for the part of David Howard.[4]

Reception and awards

Lost In America received mostly positive reviews from critics and holds a 95% rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 39 reviews. The site's consensus states: "A satire of the American fantasy of leaving it all behind, Lost in America features some of Albert Brooks' best, most consistent writing and cultural jabs."[5] The film was a commercial success, though not a blockbuster. The film's script won the National Society of Film Critics award for Best Screenplay.

Film critic Roger Ebert gave it 4 out of 4 stars calling it observant and very funny.[6]

The film is #80 on Bravo's 100 Funniest Movies,[7] and was listed at #84 on American Film Institute's AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs in 2000.[8]

Home media

Warner Home Video initially released the film on Betamax, VHS, and Laserdisc in 1985 and reissued it twice on videotape, in 1991 and 1997. The film made its DVD debut on April 3, 2001, and was made available for streaming on Netflix on July 1, 2016. The Criterion Collection,[9] their first Albert Brooks film in the collection,[10] released the Blu-ray on July 25, 2017.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Deep focus: The other side of 80s America|Sight & Sound|BFI
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ The Criterion Collection
  10. ↑ Lost in America with Albert Brooks|Current|The Criterion Collection

External links

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