Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Lost in America Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 6, 2017

Albert Brooks' "Lost in America" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new filmed conversation with Albert Brooks and filmmaker Robert Weide; new video interview with actress Julie Hagerty; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring freelance film and television writer Scott Tobias' essay "The $100,000 Box" and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

It all turned out differently, didn't it?

If you ever wondered whether the big coastal bubbles were around a few decades ago, you want to see Albert Brooks’ film Lost in America because your definitive answer is in it. It is a very witty comedy about a parallel reality where a small group of people live in a seemingly perfect harmony completely unaware that they are actually coexisting with a much larger group of people that are stuck in a very different reality. It is the perfect eye-opener that a whole lot of politicians ought to be urged to find the time to see as well.

The film begins in sunny Los Angeles where successful advertising executive David Howard (Brooks) and his wife Linda (Julie Hagerty) are on the verge of relocating to a much bigger and more expensive home, even though they are both secretly dreaming of living a life on the road, a lot like the main characters in one of their all-time favorite films, Easy Rider. So they are visibly tense and occasionally even openly blame each other for not being brave enough to follow their hearts. On the day when David is supposed to get the crucial promotion that would make the purchase of their new home possible, however, things go terribly wrong and he gets fired. (The promotion turns out to be an offer to relocate to New York City, which instantly collapses David’s elaborate plan for the future and he unleashes a barrage of insults at his boss). Barely able to contain his anger, David then rushes into Linda’s office and with a short but very passionate speech convinces her to quit her miserable job. A few days later the two sell all of their possessions, then combine their financial assets, buy a Winnebago and hit the road. For the first time in years David and Linda feel truly free and even blessed that they have been able to escape the corporate world. But when Linda foolishly loses all of their savings in a casino in Las Vegas, their American Dream very quickly evolves into an American Nightmare.

Brooks completed Lost in America in 1985 and the bulk of it was clearly intended to satirize the supposedly terrible culture of consumerism that drove the economic boom during the Reagan administration. So when in the first act David and Linda abandon their lucrative corporate jobs they are essentially transformed into modern-day rebels that can finally see the light, much like the dope-selling bikers from Dennis Hopper’s classic film, which they openly admire. There are some pretty good laughs here.

Then the light becomes too strong and the rebels get burned. Actually, what happens is this: They get to experience the parallel reality that they never knew existed. There is a great sequence halfway through the film where David goes looking for a job and when he is offered some temp gig that pays a couple of bucks per hour he suddenly realizes that six-figure positions like the one he had in Los Angeles might be as unlikely to encounter as a T-Rex in rural Nevada. It’s all downhill from here, until the fresh air finally clears David and Linda’s heads and they come to the conclusion that after all a move to the East Coast may not be such a terrible idea.

The film works really well even though it actually destroys just about all of its key messages. It basically proves that there are people living in the big coastal bubbles that literally have to be forced out of their environment so that they can gain an appreciation of the system that has allowed them to prosper and realize that there are a lot of other people that have not been as fortunate as they have. On the other hand, it is pretty difficult not to agree with the film that a system that has created two so polarizing realities very much deserves to be satirized.

There is a short but absolutely brilliant sequence at the end of the film where the large Winnebago pops up right in the middle of New York City’s chaotic traffic.

Lost in America Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Albert Brooks' Lost in America arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"Supervised by director Albert Brooks, this new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on a DFT Scanity film scanner from a new 35mm interpositive made from the original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, small dirt, grain, and noise management. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm magnetic track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX.

Transfer supervisors: Albert Brooks, Lee Kline.
Colorist: Sheri Eisenberg/Deluxe, Culver City, CA."

The film looks very healthy, vibrant, and all-around stable. It is also spotless. Obviously, given the fact that a lot of the footage was shot under different conditions some minor fluctuations in terms of density can be observed, but they are the type of organic fluctuations that they ought to be expected. In other words, there are no digital anomalies that affect the integrity of the presentation. Colors are lush, natural, and wonderfully balanced, routinely impressing with terrific nuances (see the Las Vegas panoramic shots). Image stability is excellent. There are no encoding anomalies to report either. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Lost in America Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

There are absolutely no traces of age-related imperfections. The dialog is very clean and remains stable throughout the entire film; there are no balance issues to report. Depth and dynamic intensity are excellent, though I would like to make it clear that the film's overall sound design is actually fairly unimpressive which is rather surprising as there are plenty of sequences with great music. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions.

Lost in America Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original Geffen.Warner Bros. trailer for Lost in America. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Julie Hagerty - in this new video interview, actress Julie Hagerty discusses her contribution to Lost in America and discusses Albert Brooks' working methods. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080p).

• "Albert First" - In Interview with Herb Nanas - in this new video interview, Herb Nanas, Albert Brooks' longtime manager, recalls his first encounter with the dierctor of Lost in America and discusses his unique style and career. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080p).

• James L. Brooks - in this new video interview, James L. Brooks discusses his professional relationship with Albert Brooks and his working methods, some of the unique risks that make his films special, and the shooting of Lost in America. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080p).

• Albert Brooks and Robert Weide - presented here is a brand new filmed conversation between Albert Brooks and filmmaker Robert Weide (How to Lose Friends & Alienate People). The bulk of the information addresses the actor/director's career in the film industry, his style (both in front and behind the camera), and the conception of Lost in America. The conversation was filmed exclusively for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (31 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring freelance film and television writer Scott Tobias' essay "The $100,000 Box" and technical credits.

Lost in America Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The original intent behind Lost in America might have been to serve as a funny response to Easy Rider, but through the often brilliant humor the film actually delivers a lot of truths about the polarizing realities that Americans either choose or a forced to live in. I think that in 2017 there are a lot of people all over the country that need to 'drop out' of their environments so that like the film's main characters they can begin to see and understand what is happening on the other side that they have been ignoring. Criterion's new release of Lost in America is sourced from an excellent 2K remaster that was supervised by director Albert Brooks. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.