REVIEWS
“Made at the very height of the Reagan years, Lost In America, co-written with Monica Johnson, feels as relevant to our selfie-mad times as it did in 1985. Brooks stars as David Howard, an LA ad man who makes Mad Men's Don Draper looks like a figure of Shakespearean grandeur. Living a comfortably middle-class life with his wife Linda, played by Julie Hagerty, the neurotic David is looking forward to a promotion so he can buy a new Mercedes and get an even bigger house. When the promotion is denied, he quits his job in a huff and bullies Linda into quitting hers. He insists they must sell off everything, hit the road and be free… When Lost In America came out, it was instantly recognized as a trenchant satire of the emerging species known as yuppies, with their materialism, sense of entitlement and unidealistic belief that the world is their oyster. What was less clear then was that Brooks was also the first filmmaker to capture the essence of bourgeois Bohemianism, the attempt to embrace the cool lifestyle of the rebel while still having money and comfort. That fantasy is alive and kicking among today's urban strivers, who play vinyl, go glamping and drink artisanal coffee as they try to make their millions. While David and Linda are actually uneasy riders, they don't know how to change their lives. The road they travel isn't Easy Riders dreamy America, either…" – John Powers, NPR "Endlessly funny… Few people on this earth make angry as funny as Albert Brooks does, turning his glorious prickliness into a comic weapon. The arguments are funny, but – and this is key – the conflicts and the stakes are real.” – Jason Bailey, Flavorwire |
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