"Lost in America"

Lost in America (1985): 6/10

Poster (c) Warner Bros.

Many of today’s youth knows Albert Brooks as simply a voice of a fish in Finding Nemo. The rest mostly know him for his comedic shtick (I know him mainly from his guest appearances on The Simpsons), and it seems like Lost in America is a perfect example of Brooks’ comedic talents. His deadpan routine is really what made him famous, and this was really an introduction to his work for me. I was underwhelmed but not really disappointed.

David Howard (Brooks) is an advertising guy who is expecting a promotion, but when he doesn’t get it, he decided to take his wife Linda (Julie Hagerty) to start a new life, Easy Rider style. She quits her job and they go out roaming the country in their new Winnebago. However, when they get to Vegas, David finds out something about Linda that will change their entire journey.

Put simply, Lost in America is not a funny movie. It is comedic, sure, but it never made me laugh once. Their situations were grounded in reality, and what Brooks (who also directed and co-wrote) was going for was to show what could actually happen in real life. Therefore, there was nothing in the least wacky going on. I think Brooks was having trouble keeping a lot of funny things for reality; much of what was somewhat funny was whatever was improvised and started to grow a little over-the-top.

On the other hand, where at one point Lost in America failed with it having be in a basis of reality, it was good that it seemed real, that it could happen to anyone. Everyone has a little David Howard in them, and when he was basically telling his boss to “take his job and shove it”, everyone who has ever worked in corporate America, much like Office Space, would be standing up and cheering.

In addition, Lost in America was constantly entertaining. There were no dull moments, and at a quick 91 minutes, it’s a cheerful diversion. It’s not funny, but with Albert Brooks, Julie Hagerty, a simple plot and consistent entertainment, how can you go wrong?

Rated R for some language.

Review Date: November 22, 2003