Reel Gems – Overlooked Films of the Past: Lost in America (1985)

Published February 24th, 2025 at 1:48 pm

Editor’s note: Douglas Wood recently moved to Corrales with his wife after living in Los Angeles for forty years (but don’t hold that against them– they grew up in the Midwest) where they worked in the entertainment industry. Douglas Wood is a retired TV writer, also a former film executive for Steven Spielberg, who wants to bring an awareness of little known movies that are gems but never got the publicity they deserved.

By Douglas Wood 

Successful advertising exec David Howard (Albert Brooks) is having a mid-life crisis. Passed over for an expected promotion and fired by his boss for his volatile reaction, his future looks bleak. With a bruised ego and plans to purchase a Mercedes dashed, he seeks something to bring meaning to his cushy suburban life in Los Angeles. It’s the Reagan era and yuppies (a now archaic word) are supposed to luxuriate in their white privilege. 

Radically switching gears, David convinces his wife, Linda (Julie Hagerty), to quit her job as Personnel Director of a department store and join him on a road trip to find themselves, discover America, and live a life of adventure and purpose, much like the anti-heroes he admires from the counterculture movie, Easy Rider. “We have to touch Indians. We have to see the mountains and the prairies and the whole rest of that song,” he spouts to Linda in one of his many manic moments. They decide to liquidate their assets, buy a Winnebago and begin a quest to bring meaning to their jaded lives.  

Such is the premise of Lost in America, Brooks’ satirical comedy from 1985 that he directed and co-wrote with Monica Johnson. Structured more like an episodic odyssey than a plot-driven narrative, the film is a hilarious, if sometimes uncomfortable, fable for our times that is oddly still relevant here in the 21^st century. Greed, hedonism and entitlement seem to be timeless and universal.  

Among the many laughs, there are a couple of iconic set pieces. One involves Brooks’ condescending explanation to his wife of the “nest egg principle,” the other a disastrous first-night stay in Vegas featuring a masterfully droll performance by producer Garry Marshall, a casino manager. This one drives the remainder of the film, story-wise, but is too precious to spoil here by description—the surprise of it is part of its wallop, both for the viewer and for David.  

Suffice to say the couple’s journey does not go well. Due to financial problems, David is forced to suffer the indignity of working as a crossing guard in which he’s tormented by belligerent school kids, while Linda finds employment as an Assistant Manager at a Der Wienerschnitzel franchise, a pimply teenager named Skippy as her boss. This portion of the film tends to lag a bit and leads to a rather abrupt ending; the execution of a failed dream isn’t nearly as buoyant as embarking on an exciting escapade, but it does give us a chance to enjoy the performances of its two leads. (The supporting characters are well-played too, but unlike most comedies, they don’t recur or pay off—they’re merely stops along the way.)

Brooks’ David is all id. Whether he’s trying to convince Linda to have sex with him in her office, spit-balling ideas as to how to extricate themselves from a hell of their own making, or yelling expletives at a fellow executive, there’s no filter, no reasoning, just pure neurotic angst. The fact that Brooks is able to pull this off without becoming irritating and unwatchable is a testament to his acting chops, which are every bit as impressive as his incisive writing. He’s a master of comic timing and this is his finest performance, matched only by his work in his follow-up film, the equally memorable Defending Your Life (1991). 

As Brooks’ wife, Linda, Julie Hagerty more than holds her own. A gifted comedienne, her wide-eyed intensity alternates with a long-suffering tolerance, much like Larry David’s wife (played by Cheryl Hines) in the TV show Curb Your Enthusiasm. Both have found ways to contend with an emotionally needy partner without being destroyed in the process. When Linda commits an impulsive act of her own that throws a wrench in the couple’s plans, Hagerty has the depth to suggest it didn’t come out of the blue but rather years of repression – having to be responsible and sacrificing her own dreams to accommodate her husband’s self-absorbed personality.

Lost in America isn’t for every taste, but those who like comedy with an edge and can endure some cringe-inducing humor will be rewarded. And is there a baby-boomer among us who won’t laugh out loud at the image of the Howards’ whale-sized motor home cruising down the highway to the driving beat of Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild”?  

Rated R for brief, strong language.