Year – 1985
Starring, written and directed by Albert Brooks, Lost in America is a cutting little comedy more or less lost to the ages and deserving of a higher place in the comedy hall of fame.
Brooks stars as David Howard, your standard ’80s yuppie who works at an ad agency who, along with Linda (the fantastic Julie Hagarty), decides to throw caution to the wind, leave the rat race, and drop out of society with only their nest egg to keep them afloat. After packing up their newly purchased Winnebago, David and Linda head out of L.A. and into the wild blue yonder, just like in Easy Rider. They don’t get far.
As in many of his films, Albert Brooks delivers a performance that teeters on the edge of unlikable, but always manages to keep the audience in his corner. The film perfectly encapsulates the “Me Decade” and serves as a comedic counter balance to the “greed is good” mantra of films like Wall Street.
Definitely worth your time – if only for Garry Marshall as a casino manager – Lost in America serves as a reminder that, exciting as a sequel to Finding Nemo is, one can only hope Albert Brooks starts writing and directing once again. – DG
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