Sometimes I’ll go into a movie with little to no prep. Having recently reviewed “Uncharted” I assumed we would be in for another adventure film, but alas, I was way off. “The Lost City” is definitely a comedy with a lightly veiled adventure theme. That said, it had me laughing the whole time.
“The Lost City” has us following the pursuits of Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) as she begrudgingly releases her latest popular romance novel featuring the heartthrob Alan (Channing Tatum). The obvious Fabio references were not lost on me. As the characters work through a book tour, Loretta is kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire (Daniel Radcliff) and so kicks off our adventure in shenanigans. Looking to break free from one-dimensional cover model stereotypes, Alan ventures off to save Loretta.
Along his journey to save Loretta, Alan calls upon the help of his ex-military / ex-meditator Jack Trainer (Brad Pitt). Like many other characters we meet along the way, Pitt, Radcliff, and all the actors do a fantastic job delivering hilarious dialogue subtle quips which had me laughing consistently throughout the movie. You can always tell when the jokes are hitting at full tilt when the whole theatre bursts out in laughter. That happened often.
As far as the story goes, it’s a pretty straightforward storyline… but as far as humour goes, it was excellent and teased at various stereotypes, literary tropes, and pop culture references. It was hard to find a character that didn’t deliver at least a few laughs while they were on screen… whether in the background or part of the focus of the scene. As far as comedies go, it’s similar to a “21 Jump Street” as far as humour goes. Well written, sarcastic, and witty. Not taking itself too seriously while delivering an entertaining night out. For the Tatum fans in the audience, you’ll also enjoy a bevy of shirtless moments.
All in all, it was a joy to watch at the theatre and I’m sure I’ll watch it again down the line at home. A great movie to relax and boost the mood with laughs. Again, if you are looking for a serious adventure thriller, you’re barking up the wrong tree… it’s definitely geared to be a hilarious comedy.
