User reviews

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.

"Lost In America" is a subtle, slowburning comedy portraying all the troubles that will rain down on you, once you decide to drop out (as an older adult) in a motorhome and start roaming the United States of America. (Avoid Nevada, by the way...)

The good: the midlife crisis jokes are subtle, yet true to life and spot on. Many married adults, grinding away at their boring jobs will surely find recognition in this story about wanting to break free from all the shackles that the daily boring work routine presses down upon us.

Any bad? The humour of director, writer and actor Albert Brooks is probably only suited for a smaller audience, who can appreciate some typical slowburning and subtle midlife crisis humour. Younger people who long for a fast and straight funny movie might find it boring.

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)

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!

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.

Lost in America (1985) : Brief Review -

A not-so-funny satire on some crazy idea that only some intellectuals would get right. Lost in America constantly talks about "Easy Rider" and this crazy idea of dropping out of society to prove that it's all fascinating. But is it? Yes, it is. If I call myself an intellectual, then my answer should be yes. Yes, sometimes even I think of quitting this busy and responsible life and getting away from all the burdens and living in the mountains, travelling on roads, sleeping under the sky, and whatnot. But is it practically possible and adjustable? Somehow, we all get used to this busy-day schedule and can't really get away from it. It just can't stop that easily. You know, you might have experienced it once in your life that you want a break or a holiday, and when you get it, you miss those busy jobs and schedules. Life is like that. You can't beat that unless you are some crazy intellectual with some never-seen-before guts and money. Lost in America simply overlooks this fact while exploring a sensitive yet wild story. I was loving every bit of it in the beginning, especially when he mentioned "The Fountainhead" (1949). But he mentioned it for the wrong reason-to describe some vulgarity in Patricia Neal's eyes. I mean, what the hell? That movie is above these foolish little things. That movie is damn too intellectual for someone with a corporate culture. Apparently, the protagonist is a creative person here, but the way he realises things is just not creative. It could have been much better, smarter, more creative, and intelligent as a satire, but it forgot them all just to become a comedy, and at last it couldn't even become a "good comedy." I hardly laughed 4 or 5 times, and that's certainly not enough for something I would call a "good comedy." Sometimes I think AFI's 100 years 100 laughs list deserves 100 slaps. To be a little soft, Lost in America is a good timepass, but it doesn't do justice to the hype these corporate kids have provided.

RATING - 6/10*

By - #samthebestest.

Many of today's youth knows Albert Brooks as simply a voice of a fish in Finding Nemo. The rest mostly know him for his comedic shtick (I know him mainly from his guest appearances on The Simpsons), and it seems like Lost in America is a perfect example of Brooks' comedic talents. His deadpan routine is really what made him famous, and this was really an introduction to his work for me. I was underwhelmed but not really disappointed.

David Howard (Brooks) is an advertising guy who is expecting a promotion, but when he doesn't get it, he decided to take his wife Linda (Julie Hagerty) to start a new life, Easy Rider style. She quits her job and they go out roaming the country in their new Winnebago. However, when they get to Vegas, David finds out something about Linda that will change their entire journey.

Put simply, Lost in America is not a funny movie. It is comedic, sure, but it never made me laugh once. Their situations were grounded in reality, and what Brooks (who also directed and co-wrote) was going for was to show what could actually happen in real life. Therefore, there was nothing in the least wacky going on. I think Brooks was having trouble keeping a lot of funny things for reality; much of what was somewhat funny was whatever was improvised and started to grow a little over-the-top.

On the other hand, where at one point Lost in America failed with it having be in a basis of reality, it was good that it seemed real, that it could happen to anyone. Everyone has a little David Howard in them, and when he was basically telling his boss to `take his job and shove it', everyone who has ever worked in corporate America, much like Office Space, would be standing up and cheering.

In addition, Lost in America was constantly entertaining. There were no dull moments, and at a quick 91 minutes, it's a cheerful diversion. It's not funny, but with Albert Brooks, Julie Hagerty, a simple plot and consistent entertainment, how can you go wrong?

My rating: 6/10

Rated R for some language.

We have all wanted to do it.At one time or another we have all wanted to flee our drab,bottomless pit lives to see and discover the world.It's a very tempting idea.Fortunately,what we learn from films like Lost in America is that Winnebagos don't run on faith.Albert Brooks and Julie Hagerty teach us this lesson well,making us laugh at them,as well as ourselves when we picture ourselves in their position.When it comes to comedies,I tend to lean more toward the slapstick side of things.It's the way I have always been,but Lost in America gives us laughs and teaches us a lesson at the same time,making it worth seeing again.

Papa Villone asserts that "If you can manage to find more than four memorable quotes in a film, it's a classic of some sort." Well, Albert Brooks' 1985 film Lost In America is so stocked with great quotes that it's off Papa's meter: "MERCEDES leather? What's MERCEDES leather?"

"I've seen the future and it's a bald man from New York!"

"I like Wayne Newton. Are you saying I'M a schmuck?"

"You can't even SAY the word 'egg' any more. When you go into the woods you see a bird's round stick. For breakfast you have THING'S with ham."

"I'm losing my right eye." "What?" "I'm losing my right eye." "What?"

"An adult should NOT get a bloody nose."

This film is hysterical. I watched it over at Casey's house for the first time a few days ago. Casey said he'd already seen it five or six times and now I know why. Director, writer and star Albert Brooks has created the perfect yuppie comedy. An advertising executive in his thirties who is on the verge of buying a new house for he and his wife, which he's hoping to coincide with his long-awaited promotion to vice president, is called into his bosses office and learns that not only isn't he getting the promotion, all he's getting is a lateral transfer (from their LA office to their New York offices). In probably the finest job- quitting scene in the history of film, Brooks explodes in the most acerbic, articulate way everybody has always dreamed of when realizing all their years of hard work mean nothing.

He leaves his job, talks his wife (Julie Haggerty) into quitting hers, and they decide to "find themselves" on the open road "just like Easy Rider." They sell EVERYTHING, buy a Winnebago and STILL have about 150,000 dollars to their name and head to Vegas. Brooks qualifies himself every time he has to deal with someone: "Hi, uh, my wife and I have dropped out of society, and..." They have enough money, he conservatively estimates, to stay on the road for the rest of their lives. That's before she loses their nest egg at the roulette table. Brooks the adman tries to talk the casino owner (Garry Marshall) into giving back the money. It doesn't work, but Brooks keeps pushing, trying to sell the casino on improving its image. ("I'm a high-paid advertising consultant. These are professional opinions you're getting.") There are other great scenes, as the desperate couple tries to find work to support themselves: An interview with an unemployment counselor, who listens, baffled, to Brooks explaining why he left a $100,000-a-year job because he couldn't "find himself." And Brooks' wife introducing her new boss, a teenage boy.

The funniest aspect of the film, though, is the element of materialistic panic Brooks is able to squeeze out of his character. He's a typical A-type, potential heart-attack victim: he makes a lot of money (80K! ), but not enough; who lives in a big house, but is outgrowing it; who drives an expensive car, but not a Mercedes-Benz; who is a top executive, but not a vice president. In short, he is a desperate man, trapped by his own expectations.

See this with your friend from Microsoft who got hired fresh out of high school.

Los Angeles advertising executive, expecting a promotion within his company, is instead offered an out-of-state transfer that sounds suspiciously like a demotion; he chucks his job, talks his wife into quitting her managerial position in the mall, and together they hit the highway in a newly-acquired motor home. The couple's first stop: Las Vegas! Pungent, prodding bitter-pill comedy from co-writer/director/star Albert Brooks is nervously testy and tasty, though it's just an appetizer. Brooks and writing partner Monica Johnson give us some engaging episodes on the road but, strung together, they don't make much of an impact. As Brooks' spouse, Julie Hagerty is a depressed go-alonger, though in Vegas she loses her head at the gambling table--and the couple's nest egg. When she isn't bothered by the upset, are we supposed to perceive that she's happier now being broke (freed of the past, that sort of thing)? If this is true, then the picture's ending cheats her...but Brooks and Johnson haven't thought that through. "Lost in America" has an amusing rhythm, a lightly acerbic edge, and a keen-eyed absurdist view of the world due in part to Eric Saarinen's terrific cinematography. Brooks knows instinctively how to connect directly with an audience of educated taste without pandering for their affection, but his main strengths are displayed here in snippets (when one recalls the movie a day or two later, it's usually a smattering of moments). Brooks and Johnson received the Best Screenplay award from the National Society of Film Critics but, curiously (considering the critical plaudits), the film got no love from the Academy. **1/2 from ****

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.

Mild chucklefest about a bored ad exec approaching 40 who talks his wife into abandoning their jobs for life on the road. Your typical Albert Brooks offering, which of course, is not for all tastes. Some can take to his light style of humor like addicts to coke, while others will scream how mediocre this film is to be held up as an example at screen-writing classes.

Most of Brooks' humor in his films come from his characters being utterly flummoxed by life or his grinny observations about everyday people. You get that usual array here, but unlike some of his other efforts, this Brooks screenplay seemed oddly malnourished. He gets caught up in this whole "Easy Rider" nonsense and places the film's more humorous and intriguing moments at the front. The business with Hagerty and the casino happens so quickly, that it a) uses the best device too fast, and b) seems too out of character for her. Brooks needed more time spent on the road meeting goofy locals and emptying his RV's chemical toilet that would eventually prompt Hagerty to do what she does early. And therein lies the film's bigger problem: they only really have one predicament. Once they hit their financial nadir, they look for jobs, work them for one day, and the film ends with a cop-out minutes later.

Sorry to forward-project, but I was a GREAT admirer of Brooks' "Defending Your Life". It had his usual breezy, near lulling atmosphere on display, but with the life-after-death exploration as a great backdrop, that filmed worked better. "Lost in America" just sort of coasts along with random vignettes before breaking down at the side of the road.

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.

A Yuppie couple leaves its jobs, liquidates its assets, and buys an RV, intent on living on the road like their idols in "Easy Rider." Things don't go as planned because of a single event. That single event is so contrived and unbelievably stupid that one doesn't feel any sympathy for the couple. However, one can laugh at them. Brooks could be Woody Allen's irritable cousin in terms of his neurotic behavior and impatience. Like Allen's films prior to "Annie Hall," this one is episodic, and some of the episodes are quite funny. It doesn't quite come together as a satisfying whole, but the journey is worth taking, and Brooks knows not to overstay his welcome.

Albert Brooks is a wonderful talent, somewhat of a Woody Allen offshoot, and his script writing is witty and has just the right amount of offbeat humour to it.

The film has a great premise, and the characters are realistic and sympathetic enough to retain attention, but it moves too fast and feels underdeveloped. It starts out with Howard (Brooks) established as a moderately successful advertising executive, who with his managerial wife, plan to put a down payment on a 400k house. But the corporate lifestyle has sapped some of the excitement out of both their lives, and before divorce proceedings set in, they hilariously quit their jobs and set out on the open road to find themselves. And along the way they bring the 'nest egg'.

Unfortunately, things don't go as planned, and the soul searching quickly becomes a trip through hell. With each quagmire the couple finds themselves in, Brooks' character hilariously pleads with the people he sees as obstacles to their luck. The film is built around 3 or 4 of these lengthy, seemingly improvised sketch scenes, and is what provides most of the entertainment apart from the scenario. But after the main twist and conflict happens, the film loses steam and the hijinx quickly dissipitate until the film deflates at the end.

Little soul searching actually occurs, and the film has a realistic, but disappointing ending after much of the build up to their quagmire. The ending just isn't what was promised after the dark hilarity of misfortune that preceded it. The characters feel annoyingly self entitled at first, and start to grate, but the writing and short running times keeps things feeling fresh long enough to want to finish.

Worth watching just for Brooks.

So many great lines in the gem. If you enjoy fast funny dialogue this is for you. Very early Woody Allen-ish. Albert Brooks seems to always fly under the radar but his films are actually very solid and entertaining.

This is no exception. The whole premise is hilarious; two people drop everything and leave their high-end life to travel America. Of course, it doesn't come without problems because their first stop in Las Vegas changes everything. In a very funny way.

Too bad Brooks hasn't received the accolades he deserves, because both his writing, directing, and acting are superb.

In a sea of trash films, it's nice to revisit this little gem.

"Lost in America" is a very funny comedy about a married couple that decide to quit their jobs by a motorhome and hit the open road. The man's inspiration comes from his favorite film "Easy Rider". However instead of riding a motorcycle they buy a motorhome.

After they leave Los Angeles they hit Las Vegas nut maybe they should have driven through.

David (Albert Brooks) is an ad exec expecting a big promotion. He and Linda Howard (Julie Hagerty) have sold their house for a bigger house. Instead of being the new senior VP, he's being shipped to NY for their new Ford account. He goes ballistic and gets fired. David convinces Linda to quit her job and abandon their successful yuppie lives to find themselves like 'Easy Rider'. They sell everything and buy a Winnebago. They go to Vegas to get remarried but things go terribly wrong when Linda loses all of their money gambling.

The movie starts a little slow. I rather they get to the Winnebago faster. Albert Brooks is wildly talkative. Julie Hagerty is adorably hilarious. She is just insanely funny when she loses her money. The little hearts bridal suit is really the start of the laughs. There are some great laughs although Albert Brooks could sharpening his directing skills. He tends to run on and on.

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.

Some very good sequences here - acting by Brooks and Haggerty is great - Brooks has some witty sequences - good job of writing and direction.

I think it falls short of greatness but I think its good nature lifts it. If this movie keeps u from going to vegas it was a success.

Albert Brooks: It seems that one either likes him or can't stand him. Sorta like David Letterman. It is my observation that many folks don't get his quirky brand of humor - and that's OK. Brooks is in a class by himself.

I happen to relish his droll wit, and there are many scenes in this movie that I look forward to watching every time I rerun it, which is about twice a year. His resignation from the advertising firm is classic Brooks, as is the encounter with the casino manager, played by Gary Marshall.

The script has some memorable lines and some of the dialog will regularly creep into conversations with members of my family who also share my amusement with this flick. "C'mon 22," "Down," and advice about how to handle the "Nestegg" are especially noteworthy.

It's one of Albert's funniest efforts and if you like his humor, you will definitely enjoy all 91 minutes of this film. 9/10