Lost in America

Lost in America

As a fan of comedy, I feel quite embarrassed to say that I've only ever seen one other Albert Brooks film, Real Life. He's such a unique voice in comedy, having helped pioneer comedy-making-fun-of-comedy (along with Steve Martin, of course), but he's more well-known in the mainstream as a character actor, having been in Finding Nemo, Taxi Driver, Broadcast News, Drive, and several different characters in The Simpsons. What many don't know is that he's also a writer/director, and a fairly prolific one at that. His films are hugely influential in comedy, and since this one just got a Criterion release, I decided to check it out.

Lost in America is about a well-off white couple (Albert Brooks and Julie Hagerty) that live a boringly responsible life. But when Albert Brooks is told he's being transferred to New York from LA, he lashes out, gets fired, and decides that he and his wife are going to drop out of their lives and live the life of freedom a la Easy Rider instead. Things don't go well.

I don't want to spoil any jokes or situations, as I think this is definitely one worth checking out, but I'll talk about general things I enjoyed.

The filmmaking is very unique for a comedy, especially in 1985. There's lots of tracking shots, some inspired compositions, plenty of long takes, and interesting blocking. It's clear that Albert Brooks wanted to play with the visual aspects of the film and make it different from other, more standard comedies, and he does it successfully. I can see why the movie was given a Criterion release, because the filmmaking does give it a special quality that most other comedies simply don't have.

The jokes are certainly not constant, but when they happen they hit hard (there's one scene in particular when Brooks and Hagerty are trying to book a hotel suite that ends with what I consider to be a perfect joke). It's less about clever writing and more about being grounded in reality, seeing what it would really be like if two yuppies decided to live life on the road. There are many scenes where Brooks is simply trying to explain things to people that don't follow him, and they're a joy to watch. He's able to convey such a wide range of frustration in this film, whether it be polite annoyance, boiling rage, or fully ranting anger, that it's actually what inspired Nicolas Winding Refn to hire him as the scary mob boss in Drive, because Brooks' frustration isn't just being played for laughs, it feels actually real, which is why it's so funny. Julie Hagerty's reality-based comedic acting is brilliant as well, and she goes in a few different directions with it that I can't really describe here due to spoilers. It's also this basis in reality that keeps the film from feeling dated at all. It was made in 1985, but there aren't any zany 80's references, and they hardly show any 80's technology, so it feels like a movie that could be made today.

If you're bored and looking for a fun way to spend an hour and a half, I would definitely recommend this film. Give Albert Brooks the appreciation he deserves.