Based on true events, The Lost Bus tells the story of the devastating 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California. Bus driver Kevin McKay (Matthew McConaughey) is a down on his luck guy who recently moved home after the death of his father. He answers the evacuation call from an elementary school where twenty two students and a teacher named Mary Ludwig (America Ferrera) are stranded. With the fire raging all around them and getting worse, it is up to Kevin to get them all to safety.
I have always enjoyed a good disaster movie (The Day After Tomorrow is one of my all time favorite films ever). It’s been a hot minute since I’ve seen one so I was quite looking forward to this. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect going into it, but I certainly didn’t think I’d get so wrapped up in this story of hope when it didn’t seem like there was any.
While I am not the biggest fan of McConaughey, I have to say that he delivered a solid performance. When every obstacle was thrown in Kevin’s way telling him to give up, he just kept going. Ferrera couldn’t have been more perfect as the teacher who tried her best to keep the kids, and herself, calm. I’ve seen some people say that they didn’t buy the camaraderie between the two main characters though I do not agree. For two people who were thrown together in such circumstances, they developed a natural respect and trust with one another that I appreciated.
The script was not perfect and I could have done with less of the broken family cliches. It took some time for the film to properly get going, but once it did, I was on the edge of my seat. I honestly felt like I was right there in the bus with them. It was so intense and it looked like real life footage was used as well which just drove him the authenticity of it more. I couldn’t fathom how they were going to get out of this predicament!
Overall The Lost Bus more than exceeded my expectations. The fact that it was based on actual events only heightened my experience while watching. McConaughey and Ferrera did a great job at bringing to life Kevin and Mary who are heroes in their own right. It was also important that the very real threat of wildfires was brought to light and it didn’t shy away from the devastation it causes. One of the biggest surprises for me this year.
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️.5
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