Director: Albert Brooks
Cast: Albert Brooks, Julie Hagerty
Albert Brooks is one of the great comic minds of his generation, whether doing stand up, performance pieces on late night shows or directing short films on SNL, he always manages to inject his projects with a unique point of view, strong comic conceits and a feeling that anything can happen. Despite his talents, I find it amazing that there was a point in history where Albert Brooks could write, direct and star in a movie and even more surprisingly that he was allowed to keep making movies after his previous projects failed commercially. It's not surprising he never had a big hit, his leading men are brash, neurotic, obnoxious and arrogant. He's Alvy Singer if Alvy actually confronted the blowhard talking about Marshall McLuhan in Annie Hall. Brook's descendants include George Costanza and other popular supporting tv and film characters, but none of Brooks' progeny have had success as leading men, because spending a lot of time with them is exhausting.
Lost in America opens with a long tracking shot through David Howard's (Brooks) darkened home, as David listens to Larry King interview film critic Rex Reed. I initially thought was an interview written for the movie, but it is the audio from an episode of King's radio show. In the interview Reed talks about how he'd rather watch a comedy by himself than in a crowded theatre and that he "doesn't respond very well to mass hysteria anyways". It's a petty way for Brooks to open the movie, especially because most of his output seems to be arguing against a "get laughs at any cost" ethos and is more about subverting audience expectations and not pandering to the audience. (See his standup about opening for Richie Havens on Comedy Minus One). Some cursory googling has shown me that Brooks is taking shots at Reed for giving his earlier films poor reviews and while the opening scene provides hooks the audience it also feels childish and exploitative.
Outside of establishing an uncharacteristically strong visual style for a comedy, this opening sequence has very little bearing on the rest of the film, which is about David Howard missing out on a promotion, blowing up after missing the promotion, quitting/getting fired and deciding to sell his house to pay for an early retirement so he can travel the country with his wife (Julie Hagerty) in a Winnebago. The movie's premise opens the door for some insight on how people fall into routines and end up living boring, unsatisfying lives, as they hope each minor improvement in car/job/home quality will solve everything. Unfortunately the Howard's journey off the grid begins with a large deus ex machinas, that undermines everything the film tries to say about upper-class ennui. Choosing to enter an early retirement and leaving the rat race is not equivalent to being forced to work at Der WienerSchnitzel to pay for rent at a trailer park, but the end of the film seems to be promoting this false equivalency.
Lost in America is still the product of a unique comic mind and features some top notch comic setpieces and one off gags. The scene where Brooks gets fired cements him in a class with Bob Odenkirk and John Cleese as one of the great comedic yellers of our time. A scene featuring Gary Marshall as a Casino floorman is a real highlight and is a great piece of sketch comedy. Julie Hagerty gives an off beat performance that is very good and that somehow matches Brook's energy, however ultimately this movie is a disconnected group of funny performances and setpieces that don't build to a larger thematic point, despite its best efforts.
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