Lost in America

Lost in America
Lost in America
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Albert Brooks
Written by	Albert Brooks; Monica Johnson
Produced by	Marty Katz
Starring	Albert Brooks; Julie Hagerty;
Cinematography	Eric Saarinen
Edited by	David Finfer
Music by	Arthur B. Rubinstein
Production; company	The Geffen Company
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	March 15, 1985 (U.S.);
Running time	91 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$4 million
Box office	$10,179,000

Lost in America is a 1985 American satirical road comedy film directed by Albert Brooks and co-written by Brooks with Monica Johnson. The film stars Brooks alongside Julie Hagerty as a married couple who decide to quit their jobs and travel across America.^[2]

Plot

David and Linda Howard are typical 1980s yuppies in Los Angeles, dissatisfied with their bourgeois lifestyle.^[3] He works in an advertising agency and she for a department store, but after failing to receive an expected promotion and instead being asked to transfer to the firm's office in New York City, David angrily insults his boss, and he is fired. David coaxes his wife to quit her job as well and seek a new adventure.

The Howards decide to sell their house, liquidate their assets, drop out of society, "like in Easy Rider", and travel the country in a Winnebago recreational vehicle.^[3] They leave Los Angeles with US $145,000, but their plans change drastically when Linda loses all their savings playing roulette at the Desert Inn Casino in Las Vegas, where David desperately and unsuccessfully tries to persuade a casino manager to give the money back as a publicity gimmick.

With nowhere to go, the couple quarrels at Hoover Dam, eventually arriving in small-town Safford, Arizona.^[3] David unsuccessfully applies for a delivery job at a local pharmacy and resorts to an employment agency. After a counselor tells him that there are no high-paying jobs in the area, David accepts the best position available — as a crossing guard, taunted by local schoolchildren.^[3] Linda, meanwhile, finds employment as the assistant manager at the local Der Wienerschnitzel, working under a teenager.

Only a few days after beginning their pursuit of the dream of dropping out of society, David and Linda are living in a trailer park,^[3] nearly broke, and working dead-end jobs. They decide that it is better to return to their old lifestyle as soon as possible. They point the Winnebago toward New York, where David begs for his old job back. An end card reveals he is rehired with a substantial (31%) pay cut, but better medical benefits and that the two are now expecting their first child.

Cast

Albert Brooks as David Howard
Julie Hagerty as Linda Howard
Maggie Roswell as Patty
Michael Greene as Paul Dunn
Garry Marshall as Casino Manager
Donald Gibb as Ex-Convict
Charles Boswell as Highway Patrolman

Brooks originally did not want to direct himself and had wanted Bill Murray for the part of David Howard.^[4]

Reception and awards

Lost In America received mostly positive reviews from critics and holds a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 39 reviews. The site's consensus states: "A satire of the American fantasy of leaving it all behind, Lost in America features some of Albert Brooks' best, most consistent writing and cultural jabs."^[5] The film was a commercial success, though not a blockbuster. The film's script won the National Society of Film Critics award for Best Screenplay.

Film critic Roger Ebert gave it 4 out of 4 stars, calling it observant and very funny.^[6]

The film is #80 on Bravo's 100 Funniest Movies,^[7] and was listed at #84 on American Film Institute's AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs in 2000.^[8]

Home media

Warner Home Video initially released the film on Betamax, VHS, and Laserdisc in 1985 and reissued it twice on videotape, in 1991 and 1997. The film made its DVD debut on April 3, 2001, and was made available for streaming on Netflix on July 1, 2016. The Criterion Collection,^[9] their first Albert Brooks film in the collection,^[10] released the Blu-ray on July 25, 2017.