Last December, Woody Harrelson raised a few eyebrows when he announced an ambitious project for his directorial debut. Based on his real-life experience of being arrested in 2002, Harrelson had the idea to play out the events of one chaotic night in real-time while simultaneously broadcasting the movie into the theaters around the world. “I love theater and I love film,” Harrelson said at the time, “and I really wanted to figure out a way to merge the two.” And just like that, “Lost In London” was born.
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Now, a few months later, those of us who didn’t attend the special Fathom Events screening can catch the movie at our local art house. While “Lost In London” will no doubt lose some of the immediacy that comes with watching the story unfold in real-time, critics were pretty clear that the movie is more than just a technical gimmick. Harrelson and his supporting cast — which includes Owen Wilson, Peter Ferdinando, and (why not) Willie Nelson — seem to have found both humor and a bit of reflection on a Hollywood career amidst all the careful staging.
Here’s the full plot synopsis for “Lost In London”:
A comic re-staging of one crazy night in Soho in 2002, ‘Lost In London’ follows Harrelson, playing himself, as he struggles to get home to his family after a scandal threatens to ruin his marriage. Run-ins with royalty, friends and the law all seem to conspire to keep him from succeeding. Funny, charming and finally quite moving, Woody’s film ultimately proves much more than a dazzling technical exercise.
The Picturehouse film will open in select cinemas on May 5.