Lost in America1985
Lost in America (1985)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: 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.
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Movie Info
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Cast
as Linda Howard
as David Howard
as Patty
as Paul
as Brad
as Casino Manager
as Ex-Convict
as Pharmacist
as Employment Agent
as Skippy
as Receptionist
as Model
as David's Secretary
as Hans
as Paul Dunn's Secretary
as Security Guard
as Ray
as Motorcyclist
as Front Desk Clerk
as Bellman
as Casino Security Guard
as Roulette Croupier
as Roulette Player
as Hostess
as Highway Patrolman
as Mercedes Driver
as Himself (on radio)
as Trailer Park Man
as Trailer Park Woman
as Boy on Bicycle
as Boy on Bicycle
as Boy on Bicycle
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Critic Reviews for Lost in America
All Critics (37) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (1) | DVD (2)
Brooks, who wrote the script with Monica Johnson, is a highly original comedic spirit.
Too often, things are simply too painfully accurate to be particularly funny. Still, it's hard to fault Brooks' resolutely adult intelligence, and Lost in America - almost in spite of itself, really - is easily his most consistently amusing work to date.
It's an endlessly funny and often uncomfortable piece of work, featuring some of the sharpest, deftest writing Brooks and frequent collaborator Monica Johnson ever crafted.
An amusingly bumpy ride.
Lost in America is being called a yuppie comedy, but it's really about the much more universal subjects of greed, hedonism and panic. What makes it so funny is how much we can identify with it.
There's a fantastic scene featuring a hilarious turn by director Garry Marshall.
Audience Reviews for Lost in America
Satirical view over suburban people, "trip to find American freedon", dreams and problems of new couples. Neurotic adventure comedy with great screenplay, Lost in America is a more realistic National Lampoon' s Vacation.
Super Reviewer
A couple abandons their life in the suburbs to head out on the open road until they lose their nest egg in Vegas. There are some very funny moments in Albert Brooks's script. I especially enjoyed some of the one-liners like "There's no one here I could quit to" and "If Liberace had children, this [cheap bridal suite with heart-shaped single beds] would be their room." But Brooks's neurotic delivery loses its charm, and there's something too aggressive about it. Contrasted to Woody Allen, who rarely seems threatening, Brooks seems too edgy, too close to dangerous, so that we can't laugh because we're too busy hoping he doesn't hurt someone. Julie Hagerty is, of course, hilarious. Her sweet voice and soft temperament make her a delightful contrast to Brooks. I also like the film's main idea. It's a satire of the yuppies' obsession with "finding oneself" on the road a la Easy Rider, which is often referenced in the film. In the voice of an employment agent, who says, "You couldn't change your life on a hundred thousand dollars a year?" Brooks needles the generation with one of the cushiest births possible. However, I thought the film moved slowly, and there were scenes that were meant to be funny - David's pursuit of his wife at the Hoover Dam and Linda's obsession with twenty-two on the roulette table - but they failed to be all that amusing. Overall, Lost in America is a very good satire, but not all satire leads to hilarity.
Super Reviewer
Seemed very short, but then again I watched this while I was on an RV trip and it was only on in the background at first. I wasn't fully paying attention to some of the early parts. I didn't find it as funny as I expected it to be. The movie should be called Lost in Las Vegas because that is the only major destination the couple has. The couple stays in a casino hotel though the point of RVing is that it is a home on wheels with a bed and kitchen and everything. She loses most of their money and they try for awhile to find entry level jobs in a small town. They then quickly decide to go beg for their old jobs back in New York. There is a cheap shortcut music montage film trick to cover all the time it takes for them to drive back to New York. They don't live free on the road. They don't see America. Disappointing!
Super Reviewer
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