The romance/adventure genre has always been a fun one in Hollywood, and audiences got a good entry to it in 2022’s The Lost City starring Channing Tatum and Sandra Bullock. If you haven’t already seen it, it’s now streaming on Netflix; even if you have watched it, The Lost City feels like the easy-going kind of movie you can watch multiple times and still have fun with.
The Lost City centers on Bullock’s reclusive romance novelist Loretta, who while on a book tour is kidnapped by an eccentric and dangerous billionaire (played by Daniel Radcliffe) who believes her latest book reveals clues to a lost city of ancient wealth in South America. Attempting to rescue Loretta is Alan (Tatum), her book cover model who longs to prove to her that he can be the dashing hero in real life too. Can they find the lost city and reveal its treasures?
If that plot sounds a bit familiar to you, you may be thinking of the 1984 fan favorite Romancing the Stone, where Kathleen Turner played a romance novelist who gets caught up in an adventure similar to her books that saw her team with Michael Douglas. The plots aren’t identical, but the spirit of the movies are definitely the same. If you want to compare the two, Romancing the Stone is not currently available on any streaming platform, but you can rent it via digital on-demand.
Putting the focus back on The Lost City, Bullock and Tatum have a fun chemistry, able to effectively deliver jokes and get themselves in some hair-raising sequences. Meanwhile, Radcliffe continues to just have fun in his post-Harry Potter career making fun, big choices. While it ultimately didn’t end up being a surprise thanks to the marketing of the movie, Brad Pitt shows up with a cameo, one that is memorable but doesn’t detract from the main characters and the pace and plot of the movie. I wouldn’t say this belongs on any of the stars’ best movies list, but it’s a fun romp when you’re just looking to relax with an enjoyable movie.
That seemed to be the reaction by most people when The Lost City came out. The movie is “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes and 83% of audiences have given it a positive rating.
If you want to watch The Lost City, it is now streaming on Netflix, as well as Paramount Plus and is available through digital on-demand platforms if you don’t have those streaming services.
Watch The Lost City trailer right here:
