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65 reviews in total

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20 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
Great comedy, and quite an 80's time capsule., 27 December 2000

Author: pleiades10 from woodbridge, VA

Lost In America is one of those movies that I always meant to see, but never remembered to rent. A few weeks ago, I finally got a chance to see it, and I loved it.

Albert Brooks and Julie Hagerty are perfect as the classic yuppie couple that decide to set out on the open road after a series of strange circumstances. Brooks' rave-out on his boss at the beginning of the film is priceless, as is his interaction with the unemployment office worker in the midwest... "I'll just check my $100,000 a year job file." Brooks is also great when he tries to reason with the casino owner, and arguing with Hagerty over her inability to use the words "nest" and "egg". "From now on, birds live in ROUND STICKS!!!, for breakfast, you will have THINGS over easy!!!!"

Most of the best dialogue and scenes are delivered from Brooks, but Hagerty is quite good as well, as the timid wife whos honest, yet HUGE blunder sets the tone for the rest of the film.

My only complaint is that it seemed about a half hour too short. When they decide to return to New York, I would've allowed one more wacky situation on the way back home, but it was not to be. It left me feeling that the ending was a bit rushed. But this is a minor complaint from a great film that deserves to be seen over and over.

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15 out of 17 people found the following review useful:
Hilarious, And You've Got To See It, It's Historic, 17 September 2000

Author: jhclues from Salem, Oregon

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

**Possible Spoilers**Without question, Albert Brooks is the absolute master of subtle humor. In `Lost In America,' the writer-director-star weaves an hilarious tapestry that is no less than a paean to an entire generation of Yuppies. When David Howard (Brooks), the creative director for one of the largest advertising agencies in the world, fails to get the promotion he's `waited his whole life for,' he quits his job (`Well, I got fired, but it's the same thing–'), then convinces his wife, Linda (Julie Hagerty), to do the same. They then proceed to sell their house, liquidate all their assets (`We got a ride on the inflation train you would not believe,'), buy a thirty-foot motor home and drop out of society in order to `find' themselves. Patterning himself after the guys in `Easy Rider,' David's plan is for them to set off across America, to `Touch Indians, see the mountains and the prairies and all the rest of that song,' and they leave Los Angeles with a new motor home, a substantial nest egg and an anxious sense of adventure. It all soon goes awry, of course, and what follows are some of the funniest scenes you'll ever see in an intelligent comedy. Among the most memorable are the ones with Michael Greene (As David's boss), when he informs David that instead of a promotion he's being transferred to New York to work on their latest acquisition, Ford (`We got trucks, too.'); one with Garry Marshall (As a casino manager in Las Vegas); and finally, the scene in which David explains the concept of the `nest egg' to Linda, which has to be, historically, one of the classic comedy scenes of all time. The solid supporting cast includes Tom Tarpey (Brad Tooey, the `bald-headed man from New York'), Ernie Brown, Art Frankel, Charles Boswell and Joey Coleman. Written by Brooks and Monica Johnson, `Lost In America' is a timeless comedy classic that can be enjoyed over and over again. I rate this one 10/10.

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17 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
ALBERT BROOKS: YOU RULE!!!!, 14 May 2001

Author: mattymatt4ever from Jersey City, NJ

Who said Albert Brooks is an acquired taste? After watching "The Muse," which until this day remains the FUNNIEST comedy I've ever seen, I've been curious about Brooks's work. Since this had its place on the AFI's funniest comedies of all time, I decided I'd check it out.

Though I didn't feel this was quite as funny as "The Muse," Brooks delivers his trademark sarcastic comic gags. It's hilarious to watch Brooks, a yuppie businessman who just quit his job, try to apply for a job among the lower class. Asking if there are any "executive positions."

Brooks has the best timing among all the comic actors. His style of delivering his brilliantly sarcastic dialogue is impeccable and almost never fails to crack me up! Brooks's movies are not only funny, but they're well-written. Lots of the time comedies move on the sheer energy of the cast. In his films, the writing alone is energized enough and the cast adds to that energy. Brooks and Julie Hagerty have an incredible chemistry, and their conflicts are absolutely hysterical. "From now on, you will never be allowed to use the words 'nest' or 'egg' ever again!" That's a line I will always remember. Brooks has that memorable, unique style of writing that I'm sure comedy writers everywhere will either acknowledge thoroughly or try to imitate (unsuccessfully, of course).

One thing I just cannot understand is the R-rating. Brooks, being one of the few tasteful, intelligent comedy writers in the biz, rarely uses profanity in his movies. Only twice do we hear the "f" word, and for the right reasons (He was angry at his boss for God's sake!). I'm well-aware that the PG-13 rating wasn't invented when the movie came out, but "Sixteen Candles" used the "f" word twice and got away with a PG, as well as a shower scene involving a female and a notorious close-up of her breasts. Don't expect anything filthy in this movie, because of the stupidly-awarded R-rating. Brooks doesn't sink that low.

For all those who appreciate good, intelligent humor--an escape from cheap slapstick and gross-out gags. Not that I don't appreciate that type of humor ever, but this is REALLY what comedy is all about!

My score: 7 (out of 10)

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10 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
One of Brooks' funniest films; the ultimate road trip!, 11 April 2003
Author: george.schmidt (GSchmidt0609@aol.com) from fairview, nj

LOST IN AMERICA (1985) ***1/2 Albert Brooks, Julie Hagerty, Garry Marshall. Hysterically funny film by Brooks about his character, David Howard, a yuppie who loses his job after his dream of a promotion falls through as an ad exec and decides to take his scatter-brained wife (Hagerty) cross country a la "Easy Rider" but in a Winnebago but gets seriously side-tracked in Las Vegas. Brooks has never been finer and gives the ultimate scene in cinema's history of being fired and quitting at the same time!

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8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Hilarious satire from masterful Albert Brooks, 17 June 1999
Author: pooch-8 from Fargo, North Dakota

Albert Brooks and Monica Johnson have fashioned in their Lost in America screenplay a spot-on portrait of upper middle class malaise and its correspondent affluence atrophy -- and skewered it all with perfect vignettes of accomplished comic finesse. Most fans of this film -- and it certainly has a cult following -- will gleefully cite scenes ranging from the legendary "nest egg" speech to the job service interview as examples of terrific comedy, and I wholeheartedly agree: Lost in America is very funny. Brooks, who not only co-wrote the film but also stars and directs, only falters a bit when it comes to the overall pacing (I thought the section that opens the film spends too much time in Los Angeles before the couple decides to head out for the open road), but this is a minor complaint. Most of the time I am laughing too hard to point out any flaws.

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9 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
One of the best comedies of the last two decades, 11 November 1998

Author: KennyF from New York, NY

This brilliant comedy is the best-ever showcase for Albert Brooks's comic genius, as a writer, director, and actor. His satire is well pointed and his delivery of dialogue is uniquely inflected and hilarious. Most of the scenes are nothing more than confrontations between him and another character, but they are nicely varied and impeccably played: Brooks's manic unraveling in front of his boss as he quits his advertising job; Brooks trying to convince Gary Marshall (as a Vegas casino executive) to give him his lost money back; Brooks explaining the "nest egg principle" to Julie Hagerty (as his wife) after she has blown their life savings at roulette; Brooks's interview with a cynical small town job counselor; Brooks as a crossing guard taunted by obnoxious pre-teens on bicycles (the funniest such scene since W.C. Fields); Brooks's telephone conversation with a supercilious Mercedes salesman; Brooks applying for a job as a drug store delivery boy (he plans to use his Winebago); Brooks's incredulous meeting with Skippy, his wife's 19-year-old new boss at a fast food joint. Well, you get the idea. It's a tour-de-force for Brooks, and an unsung comic masterpiece.

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10 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
The genius of the individual scenes add up to one comedy classic., 21 June 2001

Author: maxfabien (maxfabien@yahoo.com) from Ottawa, Illinois

Albert Brooks' and Julie Hagerty's portrayals of the definitive yuppie couple are hilarious. They're so typical, especially with their attitude at the beginning about what is important in life, (a house with a tennis court and a Mercedes). Everything Mr. and Ms. Blue Collar America hates about the Reagan-era generation is portrayed here. They have everything, just to have it all blow up in their faces. The success of this film comes from the sum of its small parts. Brooks' phone conversation with Hans, the Mercedes salesman (voiced by Brooks himself), the firing scene with "Brad" and his ad jingle for Ford, the check-in at the Las Vegas hotel, and, of course, Brooks' sales pitch to the casino manager (Gary Marshall), are just a few of the gems, which, when added up result in one of the funniest films ever made.

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10 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
Lost in Translation, 2 April 2005

Author: caspian1978 from Boston, MA

A typical Albert Brooks film where the characters and the situation create the punchline. Most Albert Brooks fans will enjoy this movie for the simple reason that it stars Albert Brooks. Considered to many as the younger / less Jewish version of Woody Allen, Brooks is almost as funny whether or not his movie deals with relationships. In Lost in America, Broosk tackles not only the relationship between husband and wife but the relationship between America and the American dream. Julie Hagerty co-stars as the off beat yet hilarious wife that loses all their money in Las Vegas. The dream turns into a nightmare their dreams are suddenly gambled away. The story takes a giant turn for the funnier as Brooks and Hagerty enjoy a 80's version of Easy Rider as they discover themselves on the open road of their lives. All in all, it all ends in New York.

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5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Ok, this movie rocks!, 12 April 2000
Author: johnymutton from Austin, Tx

After reading the reviews I couldn't believe that there are people that found this movie boring. To me it has some of the best dialog in any movie.

Favorite scene? hard to pick, but probably when Albert Brooks comes down to the casino in his bathrobe looking for Julie Haggerty and finds her chanting..."22,22,22,22." When asked how down she is she says "Down." When asking the casino operator how down she is he says "Down."

Another player says "She really likes 22"

I have seen this movie over and over again and it just keeps getting funnier each time I see it. I am a big Albert Brooks fan, Defending your life is very good and Real Life is also a favorite.

If you like dry humor and great dialog see this one for sure!

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3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
A wake up call for all Americans!!, 6 September 1999

Author: Retro-16

Be prepared, Albert Brooks's humor is ULTRA DRY. I found myself loving this flick before I was really old enough to. This movie addresses the reality of the happy couple, born 35+ years ago, now trapped in the Rat Race for the rest of their working days. They work for the owners of their company, for the government paying taxes, and for the bank paying off a mortgage and credit cards. A wake up call for all Americans!!!

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