The Lost City Makes Doesn’t Take Itself Seriously

If you haven’t yet seen The Lost City, starring Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum on Netflix, I’d recommend it if you’re in the mood for an adventure/screwball comedy that gently pokes fun at some of our enduring stereotypes and doesn’t take itself seriously. The humor can border on slapstick, yet it can also be clever and dry. I can enjoy comedies without actually laughing out loud at them. But this one had me laughing at several points, both at the clever lines and the visual gags.

Adventure films rely on their pacing, and comedies rely on the timing of their actors. This admirably one covers both. It’s a great popcorn movie. 

The story has Loretta (Bullock) as a writer who’s on a book tour with her cover model Alan (Tatum) when she’s kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire played by Daniel Radcliffe. The billionaire is convinced Loretta’s discovery of a lost city is actually real and kidnaps her to find it on an island he’s bought. Dim-witted Alan has bought into the hero image he portrays on book covers and attempts to rescue Loretta with the help of a real hero, played by a tongue-in-cheek Brad Pitt, who looked like he was having a lot of fun with the role. 

Silly Fun Movie

What set this movie apart was that the studios don’t seem to produce many out-and-out screwball comedies with A-list actors anymore. Bullock, Tatum, Pitt and Radcliffe probably loved the fact that they weren’t expected to deliver a serious performance and could have fun and practice their comedic chops. But they all were ideal for their parts. 

While the Lost City certainly won’t win any Oscars, it’s not trying to. It’s just a silly and much-appreciated departure from the serious thrillers and endless superhero moves that seem to be all over the streaming services these days. Catch it on HBO.