Had a good time (date night!) checking out the latest romcom, The Lost City. Starring Channing Tatum and Sandra Bullock (doing what she’s done best for nearly 30 years now), it gives serious Romancing the Stone vibes, and while it might not one day be considered a classic like that film, it is still a fun diversion.
Loretta Sage is an author of a longtime series of romance novels, but five years after the death of her husband, she’s about ready to give it all up. She can’t find a satisfying ending for her latest book, and doesn’t like how some of her biggest fans care more for the male model gracing the cover of her novels than the novels themselves. That model is Alan Caprison, whose persona, Dash McMahon, is the main hero in Loretta’s books. Chiseled and good looking, the ladies (and many men) love “Dash,” but Loretta thinks he’s just a shallow musclehead. Finally with an unsatisfactory ending pushed through, Loretta, her publisher, and Alan embark on a book signing tour to promote. However, plans go awry.
The evening of their first meet-and-greet, Loretta is kidnapped by Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe). He’s a wealthy treasure hunter with a bit of forgotten-brother syndrome. He wants to find a legendary item known as the Crown of Fire, supposedly on a remote island in the Atlantic. Loretta once wrote about the Crown, with the help of her deceased husband at the time, who was an expert archeologist. Fairfax is hoping some of her husband’s knowledge has rubbed off on Loretta; he takes her to the island and wants her to decipher some ancient writing to find the artifact’s location. However, using her smartwatch’s location, Alan is able to higher an ex-special forces guru (Brad Pitt) to rescue her. When the rescuer falls, “Dash” must step up to be the hero from Loretta’s books.
I do like the modern take on the classic tale. Though the strong man is there to rescue the damsel in distress, Loretta certainly holds her own and does a lot of the “rescuing” too. The movie is also very funny, and there isn’t too much cheese going around. If you are measuring the film purely on entertainment factor, it scores high. ★★★½
Jons Movie Takes 