LOST IN AMERICA. Directed by Albert Brooks; written by Albert Brooks, and Monica Johnson; produced by Marty Katz for Warner Bros. Starring Albert Brooks and Julie Hagerty. Rated R (language).
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It's really funny how things turn out, especially in Albert Brooks' crazy world. Some fans of Easy Rider, the iconic hippie movie of the '60's, have become ad executives in the 1980's. Some have even become highway cops.
Lost in America translates the drop-out, turn-on credo of bygone days into contemporary terms, with hilarious results. The movie is not without its faults, but overall, it's well worth seeing, especially for the former Easy Rider, now Big Chill, generation.
David (Brooks) and Linda (Hagerty) decide to leave Los Angeles and actually "drop out of society" (they use that phrase a lot). The event which spurs this momentous decision is David's failure to get a promotion he's been counting on. But it's what they've always wanted to do anyway. They drop out in style, however. No hitchhiking for them; they get a fully-equipped (even with a microwave) Winnebago.
They make it as far as Las Vegas, where David has romantic plans to start their odyssey with a remarriage ceremony. A particularly materialistic kind of disaster strikes them here, though. So their great journey ends up being somewhat aborted. Unfortunately, the same can be said about the movie. But it's fun while it lasts.
Brooks is a truly original comic talent. His "normal" looks are good cover for his deep understanding of the absurdity of everyday modern life. The world of his comedy seems like a pretty landscape painting, at first. But you gradually realize that it's hanging just a little crooked. Then you begin to wonder if the painting is really crooked, or if the wall's just not quite square. Or maybe the whole house tilts just a bit.
Hagerty is a perfect partner for this kind of craziness. She can convey calm assurance in one moment, and then go completely off the deep end in the next, remaining totally convincing all the while. Lost in America belongs more to David, understandably, since Brooks is also director and co-writer. But a nice balance is usually struck between these two fine comedians. And some of their scenes together,like the first one when David expresses his nervousness about the promotion, are classics.
The movie's first twenty minutes or so, in fact, is flawless. The scene where David finds out about his non-promotion gives Brooks a chance to rant and rave at his best. And Linda's confession of her gambling fever is hilarious. But the rest is more like a series of funny sketches than a continuation of the story. The scenes are quite funny, but the connections between them are too strained.
The main thing wrong with Lost in America, however, is that it's just not long enough. Usually, of course, one hates to see a good movie end. But here the ending is really too abrupt. If David and Linda could just have traveled farther, before realizing their mistake. I wanted to see more of the adventures promised by the first part of the movie, before their inevitable surrender to reality.
But such a complaint shouldn't deter fans of Brooks or Hagerty from seeing Lost in America. If you fall into this category of moviegoer, you probably have already seen it. If you don't, it might be a little too weird for you. But it's definitely worth taking a chance on.
I get tired of having to talk about the ratings of movies every week. But the system really doesn't seem to make much sense lately. Lost in America is rated R, I suppose, because of language. Brooks uses the "worst" objectionable word a few times, but that is all. There is no violence (except of a most comic kind) and no sex. The many beheadings, throat-slittings, etc., in King David, which was rated PG-13, are much more offensive to me then a few bad words.
April 24, 1985