Romancing Attempt- The Lost City [2022]

Of course the connection was going to be obvious. You have a romance writer getting caught up in a treasure hunt and spends much of the time romping though the jungle with a hunk, ultimately deciding to look for the treasure. Perhaps more than enough time has passed to revisit Romancing the Stone (1984) territory… even if you’re not exactly replicating it. Well, we do have a fake out opening which is the closing of a fictional adventure that also pays tribute to another treasure seeker.

Thing is, we had another treasure hunting jungle romp just last year and, honestly, I found Red Notice (2021) so uninspired and surprisingly dull that I couldn’t muster the energy to do a proper review. I’m sure the stars had a ball of a time making that one, and I’m sure there are fans who would defend that flick. It just didn’t really go anywhere that was particularly different to rise above a generic action flick that seemed very suited for a streaming release.

At least for me.

The fun factor here is a little more elevated mostly thanks to the absurdity of the situation. Sandra Bullock’s jaded writer Loretta spends much of the adventure in a skin-tight sequinned bright purple cat-suit. It’s the least practical outfit you could have for traipsing through the jungle while being chased by the ‘bad guys’. Still, she makes it work, and makes the most of it as well which helps the movie quite a bit.

Add to that is Channing Tatum’s book cover model Alan who, while not the brightest bulb, is also not the dimmest knowing full well that he does bring some light into the lives of Loretta’s fans by embodying their fervent fantasies. A decent fellow, he tries to do the right thing no matter how exasperating he is to Loretta most of the time.

Taking on the ‘bad guy’ duties is Daniel Radcliffe who has constantly been trying to break ties from the image of Harry Potter. The feeling is that this character of Abigail (yep) Fairfax isn’t too far removed from Walter in Now You See Me 2 (2016). He plays up the charm but the obsession driving Fairfax might make him turn nasty on a dime. And while that works for the most part, it doesn’t entirely make him the ‘bad guy’. Obsession just makes you do crazy things, but at least, he’s a more legitimate protagonist than any they had in Red Notice.

Directors Aaron and Adam Nee do put their fondness and love of the genre out there. They know what works and play it to the hilt, primarily with Brad Pitt’s character and particularly the other peripheral characters like Loretta’s publisher Beth (Da’Vine Joy Randolph). They inject the danger as needed, making it real and workable even while keeping things frothy and light to maintain a level of levity to the proceedings.

At the very least, The Lost City is an entertaining romp as it should be with a bit of a cop-out at the end. That aspect may differ depending on the viewer. It’s not entirely a killer to the whole thing but it does diffuse certain things, and likely may be sequel baiting.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5

Directed by Aaron Nee & Adam Nee
Written by Oren Uziel & Dana Fox and Adam Nee & Aaron Nee
          from a story by Seth Gordon

Stars Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Danile Radcliffe, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Oscar Nuñez, Patti Harrison, and Brad Pitt

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