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The trailer for Lost City set my expectations very low. Watching the film, in theaters, fulfilled my expectations and nothing more. The rise of streaming services has elevated the production quality of films that may have been ‘made for tv’ to feature-length major studio quality. This film was not released day and date on Paramount+ but instead is getting a full theatrical release and ad push. It feels like a Netflix film down to a shockingly high-profile cast. Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Brad Pitt, and Daniel Radcliffe are all featured.
Sandra Bullock plays Loretta, a romance novel author that uses Alan, Channing Tatum, for her cover modeling. Daniel Radcliffe plays billionaire Abigail Fairfax, a man-boy who was passed over to take over his father’s company. The film takes a moment to acknowledge that Abigail is a gender-neutral name along with Leslie, Abigail’s brother. Brad Pitt plays Jack Trainer, a new-wave meditation coach, and trainer that Alan had previously used. This is a strong cast in a dumb film.
Once Abigail kidnaps Loretta, Alan comes to an Atlantic Island to save her, and Loretta’s romance novel plays out in real life. The film is an odd mashup of romantic comedy, romance, and action & adventure. It tries too hard to be funny, including an extended penis joke that got zero laughs in the theater. Bullock and Tatum do not have great on-screen chemistry and I do not buy them falling in love throughout the film. Radcliffe does do a pretty good job of playing an unhinged billionaire, but is that a challenging role for anyone?
The film is under two hours, and it was laborious to get through. It was very paint-by-numbers but did not get too bogged down at any point. I would not recommend anyone go see this in theaters. It was not funny where it was supposed to be. It did not take itself too seriously, but that can only go so far. If you must see this, wait until it comes to Paramount+, sign up for a month, and watch the two South Park Covid pandemic specials too. They are worth the price of admission for a month, and this can be tacked on to a rainy weekend afternoon.
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