The Lost City

 2/4

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, Da'Vine Joy Randolph

Rated PG-13 for Violence and Some Bloody Images, Suggestive Material, Partial Nudity and Language

Loretta (Bullock) is a now-reclusive author who specializes in romance adventures starring her hero, Dash.  Actually, Dash is a Fabio-like model named Alan (Tatum) who has secretly been pining for the author for some time now.  So when a rich treasure hunter named Abigail Fairfax (Radcliffe) kidnaps her to find a jeweled crown that she referenced in one of her novels (based on her college research), Alan goes charging after her.  Actually, it's not quite that simple.  Alan is a dork and in over his head.  Also pursuing the missing Loretta is her editor, Beth Hatten (Randolph).

Given the premise, one might assume this is a Saturday afternoon serial a la "Congo" or Indiana Jones.  It isn't.  This is a romantic comedy, and its closer cousin is "Romancing the Stone."  That 1984 romantic adventure worked because of the chemistry between Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.  Tatum and Bullock can't recreate that spark.  In fact, it's rather astonishing that anyone thought that this coupling would work.  Both are appealing actors, to be sure.  I mean, heroes don't get much hunkier than Channing Tatum and putting Sandra Bullock in a romantic comedy is as natural as casting Meg Ryan.  But they don't "click."

Both Bullock and Tatum have so much screen appeal that it camouflages their acting talents.  But it can be argued that neither one is cast correctly.  Channing Tatum has gifted comic chops ("21 Jump Street") and more than enough muscles to pull off the hunk role, but he's probably not the best choice to play a dork.  His attempts at playing a neurotic eager beaver fall flat.  When Alan grows into the traditional hero, Tatum is on firmer ground.  He has a wonderful speech about halfway through where he explains that Loretta's assumptions are wrong.  It recalls the classic "anecdote" speech in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles."  For her part, Bullock may be trying to stretch her range, but something feels "off."  The actress is known for her effervescent quality that made her a star after "Speed," but she doesn't bring that to the role.  She's low key, a bit shy, and more than a bit arrogant.  While there's no doubt that that she has the range to pull it off, it doesn't work for a lightweight fluff piece like this.

If there's a saving grace with the casting, it's the supporting players.  Daniel Radcliffe is a riot as the unhinged villain.  He has all of the best lines and steals every scene he's in.  He stays just under the line of evil, so he's threatening but still funny.  Da'Vine Joy Rudolph is just as good as Beth, who plays the part with the right amount of sass and comic timing to appeal.  I hope to see more of her soon.

Ands that's the thing.  "The Lost City" may be cobbled together from other movies (including, and not limited to, "Nim's Island," "National Lampoon's Vacation," and the aforementioned "Congo"), but the most important element doesn't work.  The comedy also plays it safe at every turn, which leads to less laughs.  There are a number of hilarious lines (the best of which come from Radcliffe), but too often the filmmakers fall back on the characters repeating "awkward" lines.  I don't know if you find this funny, but I don't.

"The Lost City" isn't painful and has its moments, but all in all it feels like a missed opportunity.

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