The Lost City ** (2022, Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe) – Classic Movie Review 12,438

Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum star in the amiable but moderate 2022 American action-adventure comedy film The Lost City as a depressed romance novelist and her dim-witted cover model who must try to escape from an evil billionaire (Daniel Radcliffe) who wants her to find the lost ancient burial chamber she describes in a book.

It is all very silly and derivative, but mostly quite amusing, with the three charming stars doing all they can to pump up a fairly slack, old-style comedy script, apparently inspired by the very similar and much better Romancing the Stone.

More big laughs, more big moments, just more would be better. Radcliffe particularly needs one big moment of villainy to make it zing. Bullock and Tatum team up quite well as a comedy duo, and both have excellent comic skills, shown to some advantage, but are less thrilling as a romantic pair. They have some funny lines and funny situations to perform, but their romantic material is pretty cringeworthy. The film is outdated and not memorable in any single way, and, enjoyable though it is, it is likely that you would probably never want to see it again. The plot, such as it is, eventually defies any sense or logic, but the film is a bit of light-hearted daft fun and, as such, is welcome enough.

It is directed by the Nee brothers, who co-wrote the screenplay with Oren Uziel and Dana Fox, from a story conceived by Seth Gordon, being in development for seven years, hence, in part, the outmoded nature of the film.

The film co-stars Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who is quite unfunny as Bullock’s publisher, needing less screen time, and Brad Pitt, who is quite funny as a crazy action hero, needing more screen time.

Filming took place in the Dominican Republic from May to August 2021, which is odd because it looks like it was made entirely in the studio, with obvious sets and obvious CGI work.

The film was released by Paramount Pictures in the US on March 25, 2022, and grossed more than $190 million worldwide on a budget around $70 million.

The cast are Sandra Bullock as Loretta Sage, Channing Tatum as Alan Caprison, Daniel Radcliffe as Abigail Fairfax, Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Beth Hatten,  Aníbal as Rafi, Thomas Forbes-Johnson as Julian, Oscar Nunez as Oscar, Patti Harrison as Allison, Brad Pitt as Jack Trainer, Bowen Yang as Ray, Joan Pringle as Nana, Raymond Lee appears as Officer Gomez, Adam Nee as Officer Sawyer, and Stephen Lang as the fantasy villain.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,438

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com