Movie review: 'Lost and Found in Armenia' is a lost cause

Movie review: ‘Lost and Found in Armenia’ is a lost cause

By Gary Goldstein

June 6, 2013 12 AM PT

The lowbrow comedy “Lost and Found in Armenia” so shamelessly wallows in its broad humor, silly contrivances and retrograde stereotypes it almost dares you to be annoyed. Mission accomplished.

A kind of pale, reverse twist on “The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming,” the movie finds Bill (Jamie Kennedy), a lovelorn American vacationing in Turkey, crash-landing across the border in Armenia after, let’s just say, a highly improbable parasailing fiasco.

The nuttiness escalates once the hapless Bill wakes up amid a group of hostile, dim-witted villagers absurdly convinced he’s a Turkish spy (the film offers a slapdash history lesson on Armenian-Turkish rancor). Led by the dotty Grandpa Matsak (Mikael Pogosyan), the townsmen confine, threaten and foolishly “interrogate” Bill until finally, the only English-speaking local, pretty young student Ani (Angela Sarafyan), begins to clear things up.

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Had the dumbed-down script by Narek Ghaplanyan, Krist Manaryan and director Gor Kirakosian focused on the budding, if unlikely romance between Bill and Ani, the story might have gained some momentum. Instead, it wastes time on too many loud, boorish characters, extraneous sidebars and hoary sight gags, burying the movie’s few glimmers of warmth and charm.

Sadly, nominal lead Kennedy has little to do but play dazed and confused, and spout such groaners as “What the hell is Armenia? Y’mean, like Glendale?” Stay classy, dude.

‘Lost and Found in Armenia’

MPAA rating: None.

Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes.

Playing: At Laemmle’s Music Hall, Beverly Hills; Laemmle’s Town Center 5, Encino; AMC’s Burbank 8; Pacific’s Glendale 18.