We have no regrets when it comes to the above title when it comes to The Lost City. This movie reminded us of the 1984 classic of Romancing the Stone while also standing on it’s own two feet and becoming one our favorite movies of the year. It’s also is part of the romcom resurgence that we’ve been sorely in need of. Because yes, we loved Marry Me, but dear lord do we need more of women being unapologetically themselves, having a laugh, going on a journey, and finding love at the end of that rainbow.
That’s why we feel like The Lost City is a love letter, not just to romance readers but to those that love romcoms. As a genre, quite frankly, it’s always being shit. That’s helped perpetuate this stereotype that you must be “less than” if you enjoy watching the journey of two people falling in love. And that’s simple not true. We are not “less than” because we like romcoms and The Lost City is there to take you on a journey where you realize it’s not good to read a book by it’s cover and judge a whole genre because you don’t understand it.
This lesson, is something that Loretta, played by romcom queen Sandra Bullock, has to learn. Because yes, she writes romance novels, but it’s always been partially to make ends meet. And after the loss of her husband, she can’t find it in herself to continue pretending that everythings ok and that she’s fine. So, she kind of gives up. She becomes the one judging books by their covers. And it’s through her journey in The Lost City that she finds herself, chooses to not judge like she did in the past, and finds a second chance at love.
That second chance at love is something we definitely need to talk about. Her love story with her cover model, which we’ll talk about more below, is full of tropey goodness. Oh it’s cold and you have no blankets? Cuddle! Locals confusing you for wife and husband? Dance together! It’s all there and adds to her journey. Put that all together and you are led to a moment with Loretta that made us cry. Yes, The Lost City made us cry. She just…she’s held onto her husband and her stagnant way of life for so long, that when she decides to move forward (but never forget) it’s a powerful moment that defines her character and resonates with viewers.
Then there’s Alan. We’ve got to admit that we didn’t know that Channing Tatum had the range to take on such a role. I mean, he’s probably a lovely man, but we only know him from magic Mike and that’s it. So color us surprised when he absolutely blew us away in The Lost City and made us reconsider him as an actor. He was funny, perfectly encapsulated his character, and had great chemistry with Bullock to the point where I wouldn’t mind watching another rom-com of them together.
We also need to talk about the fact that Alan, the greatest himbo of all time that made us understand all the rage about Fabio, was absolutely bisexual. We were first included in when he had a contact on his phone for “butt stuff.” Now, that alone doesn’t mean that you’re bisexual. Many men enjoy butt stuff and it’s their prerogative and decision to do so. But what set our gaydar off almost the way that he looked at Brad Pitt‘s character. You don’t look at another man in slow mo like that and not fall in love a little bit, giving away your bisexual nature.
For some, this last bit doesn’t matter as much. But for us, that means that there is a male romantic lead in a rom-com that is bisexual and doesn’t hide it. That matters to those watching and those who never thought it would be possible in the first place. Especially because we feel it wasn’t treated as a joke even as we were laughing at him staring at Pitts character. It was just natural part of him as natural as breathing and swooning. Basically, we love Alan and we wouldn’t mind seeing more characters like him.
Together, Bullock and Tatum are forced to be reckoned with. They have the kind of chemistry that I’ve been missing from romcoms for a very long time. And we enjoyed how they brought out the best in each other through their characters and their journeys. We also can’t stop thinking about that dance between Loretta and Alan. It was hot from start to finish and we could watch it on loop. Same thing goes for every outfit that Bullock wore. Swoon worthy with a side of I want to be her when I grow up.
That’s not to say that The Lost City is without problems. The writer of this review is Latinx and is frankly tired of an ambiguous Spanish-speaking country. We understand that they probably want to play it safe and not name a country with a made-up movie legend as to not anger actual locals that have their own legends. But we wish there was something else they could do, including not having a local that works for the bad guys and is the superstitious one of the group. It’s a little stereotypical and rubs this writer the wrong way.
The Lost City is in theaters now.
