Within the first minute of The Lost City, starring Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum, it became obvious that this movie was not going to take itself seriously. The protagonists’ of author Loretta Sage’s latest adventure romance novel expressions of admiration for each other as they’re tied up in an ancient temple quickly pan out to a gloating villain, followed by the hero, Dash, asking “Hold up. Are these- Are these your snakes?” This line of questioning continues… who feeds the snakes and why one snake is wrapping itself on a henchman’s leg and not biting the guy? Then the author kicks in with “Delete” on several aspects of the scene, switching to the reality of Loretta struggling to write the ending of her story and still coming to the terms of her husband’s death a few years before.
Minutes later, having found her ending, Loretta is on a book tour with her agent, reading awful online reviews before facing a live audience, and to her surprise, Alan, the cover model for her novels. Her agent, Beth, confiscates Loretta’s phone and sends her on stage in an uncomfortable pink sequined outfit, where she ultimately concedes to the audience’s demand to rip off Alan’s shirt, accidentally removing his wig. Arguments ensue and Loretta storms out into the waiting car of kidnappers employed by Abigail (a gender neutral name, she’s assured) Fairfax, played by Daniel Radcliffe, who noticed that her new book includes real translations for an archaeological site he’s excavating and wants her to travel to the Isla Hundida (“Sunken Island”). She declines; he takes her there anyways.
Meanwhile, Alan, having seen the car Loretta left in, tries to hop into her Uber with the stereotypical “follow that car” line; the Uber driver locks his doors. Police won’t help due to lack of evidence, so Alan reaches out to Jack Trainer (played by Brad Pitt), an ex-Navy Seal he met at a meditation retreat, and they track Loretta’s location using her smart watch (which had snagged on Alan’s wig earlier).
And then the real movie starts, with crazy rescue attempts and corny villain bits. There are a few serious moments as Alan and Loretta figure out how they fit into each other’s lives, but mostly this movie kept us laughing.