Customer Reviews

Lost in America [VHS]

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Albert Brooks is the thinking man's comedian. And he proves it with "Lost In America". This movie is written, acted and directed with impeccable precision. The casting is perfect. Somehow this dated 80's yuppie film is just smart enough and just down to earth enough to entertain almost everyone. Albert Brooks has a whimsical intelligent paranoia about life, Julie Haggerty is his invincibly sweet wife, and every other character in this film is tangibly interesting. This movie is full of sarcasm, human honesty, and laughter for the mind. "Lost in America" is full of subtle humor and interesting ideas. If you have a brain and if you like to laugh, this is the movie for you. Albert Brooks deserves some kind of an Oscar for this one. Please get lost in America!

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.

Albert Brooks came of age in this 1985 comedy about a Advertising Executive and Human Resource wife who decide that corporate america is not the place for them and by liqidating all their assests, can start a "nest egg" and just live off the land. Fun begins with Albert not getting the promotion he thinks he deserves and talks his wife (played by Airplane's Julie Haggerty) into not moving into a new house- rather, buy a Winebago and "touch Indians" for the rest of their lives. A stop in Las Vegas to renew wedding vows turns the dream life into a disatster, as Haggerty blows there savings at the roulette table ("22") What follows is how they come to terms with this event and how they try to piece their life together in a trailor park in the Southwest- the only place they have enough money to buy gas to get to. A scene when Brooks confronts Haggerty on "breaking the nest egg" is certainly one of the funniest exchanges in movie history. Brooks is blessed with a keen perceptual sense and his "high brow" humor is not to be missed. His ties to producer Janes Brooks (co-creator of "The Simpsons" and cameo role in Brooks' "Modern Romance") reflect that. This is a must for any video library. I also recommend the current feature "Office Space" for anyone who likes to have to "think" before laughing.

This is definitely one of my favorite comedy movies! I watch it every once in a while and enjoy it as much as I did the first time - maybe even more. The scenes are fabulous - smart and funny and well-written. I have quoted the "nest egg" speech many times; also the employment office's "hundred thousand dollar box". It's fantastic!

This is simply my favorite comedy film of all time. It's a classic, hilarious look at the painful odyssey from anger to forgiveness. I've seen it at least 10 times and it still makes me laugh!

I think this is still Albert Brooks' best movie. It is downright embarrassingly funny. A MUST in your film library. Guranteed laughs no matter how many times you see it!

One of the funniest movies for grown-ups EVER! Every confrontation scene in this movie (in his boss's office, in the casino manager's office, at the Hoover Dam, at the school crosswalk, at the unemployment office, etc.) is a comic gem! If you're reading this review, chances are you have already seen this movie. So what are you waiting for? Buy the DVD already! You need to keep this movie in your video library and make all your friends watch it. This movie has more memorable lines in it than The Godfather, Casablanca, and Caddyshack combined! Granted, not all of Brooks's films are stellar. Anyone see "The Scout"? Terrible! But "Lost In America" is on par with the excellent "Real Life" from a few years earlier. Watch that one and listen for his "airline VIP club/missing-the-point" rant. Not only is Albert Brooks (yes! his real name IS Albert Einstein!) a wonderfully talented writer and director, but he is a great actor, too. Remember, he got an Oscar nomination for "Broadcast News" in 1987.
Why can't all comedies be as funny as "Lost In America'"? And tell Julie Hagerty to stay away from the Roulette wheel.

this movie is hilarious. i am not an easy laugher and most movies that are supposed to be funny just make me roll my eyes. the situation is very easy to relate to--who hasn't dreamed of chucking the corporate life and living more simply? men and women will enjoy it equally. i even sent a dvd to my financial advisor.

it's pound-on-the-floor funny. sometimes, with some movies, i laugh so hard i have excruciating pain in my sides. well, i had better be careful with movies such as this, this is an amazing funny film... albert brooks is an amazing comic actor, and the lead actress is also amazing. "you cannot say the words 'nest' or 'egg.'" this one is a heimarck favorite film.

Albert Brooks stars in this satirical gem as a controlling, obsessive-compulsive type who is offended because his wife calls him "responsible". We may all recognize his character in someone we know or maybe a little bit in ourselves, and if the latter is the case, it will add to your enjoyment of this unexpected delight. How many times have most of us thought about "chucking it all and leaving the rat race"? Well, this movie will convince you to think twice. I am not a film fanatic but it is a movie that I have laughed at so many times, that it is the first DVD that I own.