Lost in America

Rating:
Summary: A Classic From the Master
Review: Without question, Albert Brooks is the absolute master of subtle humor. In "Lost In America," the writer-director-star weaves an hilarious tapestry that is no less than a paean to an entire generation of Yuppies. When David Howard (Brooks), the creative director for one of the largest advertising agencies in the world, fails to get the promotion he's "waited his whole life for," he quits his job ("Well, I got fired, but it's the same thing-"), then convinces his wife, Linda (Julie Hagerty), to do the same. They then proceed to sell their house, liquidate all their assets ("We got a ride on the inflation train you would not believe,"), buy a thirty-foot motor home and drop out of society in order to "find" themselves. Patterning himself after the guys in "Easy Rider," David's plan is for them to set off across America, to "Touch Indians, see the mountains and the prairies and all the rest of that song," and they leave Los Angeles with a new motor home, a substantial nest egg and an anxious sense of adventure. It all soon goes awry, of course, and what follows are some of the funniest scenes you'll ever see in an intelligent comedy. Among the most memorable are the ones with Michael Greene (As David's boss), when he informs David that instead of a promotion he's being transferred to New York to work on their latest acquisition, Ford ("We got trucks, too."); one with Garry Marshall (As a casino manager in Las Vegas); and finally, the scene in which David explains the concept of the "nest egg" to Linda, which has to be, historically, one of the classic comedy scenes of all time. The solid supporting cast includes Tom Tarpey (Brad Tooey, the "bald-headed man from New York"), Ernie Brown, Art Frankel, Charles Boswell and Joey Coleman. Written by Brooks and Monica Johnson, "Lost In America" is a timeless comedy classic that can be enjoyed over and over again.