Sunday, June 07, 2009
A+E, Movies, Reviews

Hopelessly ‘Lost’

Will Ferrell’s time-travel comedy not an excellent adventure

BY CALVIN SON

If you scrunch up your face in concentration, the way Will Ferrell sometimes does as he belts out one of his trademark man-baby shrieks, you might be able to recall a time long ago, when Ferrell flicks were still fresh and actually funny.

It was a time when we were still unaccustomed to seeing his hairy, almost-naked body, when we were not yet used to his tangled teeth or wide-eyed looks of confusion. It was an era when the concept of a washed-up big guy acting like a little kid and yelling strange interjections retained some novelty. So it’s appropriate that his latest film isn’t just a throwback to an earlier era, a la “Semi-Pro” or “Anchorman”: It’s a wishful film that’s actually about time travel.

It just doesn’t travel far away enough from the Ferrell formula to find any laughs.

“Land of the Lost,” directed by Brad Silberling (“Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”), is touted as a tribute to and parody of the fondly remembered yet cheese-covered Sid and Marty Krofft Saturday-morning children’s series from the ’70s. But seeing as how it plays more like a tribute to Ferrell, a better title might have been “Anchorman 2: The Legend of Bad Computer Graphics.”

Basic as the plot is—has-been scientist accidentally goes to alternate universe with bosomy English assistant (Anna Friel) and redneck survivalist (Danny McBride), makes friends with a monkey man (Jorma Taccone), and finds out he needs to save the universe before finding his way back home—the back-to-back gags drag on, kind of like this sentence. Even kids will be left confused by the “how did they know to do that?” moments and gaping plot holes.

Then again, it’s probably not a good idea to bring kids at all. The PG-13 film awkwardly straddles the fence with too many sex jokes for children (even squeezing in the now-required drunken bro-love scene) and not enough “grown-up” material to satisfy adults.

Clichéd as the comparison might be, “Land of the Lost” really does feel like an amusement park ride, complete with loud noises, bright colors and product placement galore—but in the least fun way possible. Think slow-moving lines and crowded parking lots.

The ride’s rickety track plods through a fantasy universe where random objects pop up out of nowhere, which Ferrell and McBride use as an excuse for a hodgepodge of gags that are even more erratic and irrelevant than usual, including such staples from Ferrell’s repertoire as song-and-dance numbers and gay sex jokes. Of all those, there are only two potential laughs: One’s given away in the trailer, and the other would’ve fared better as part of a stand-up routine or Funny or Die clip.

That leaves only two things holding this particular roller coaster together: consistently bad CGI (really bad—like “History Channel” bad, or maybe even “Twilight” bad) and the actors’ commentary as they wander around in a movie as lost as the title implies. But even that’s not as entertaining as it sounds.

At times, the supporting cast comes close to stealing the spotlight from Burgundy—er, Ferrell—and salvaging the mess. But not close enough.

Bottom line: not even as good as Ferrell's athlete flicks, universes away from “Old School” or “Elf.” You’d be better off waiting for the DVD, lest you find yourself wishing for a time machine to reclaim the last hour and a half of your life. 1 STAR