September 28, 2025
FILM: THE LOST BUS
DIRECTED BY: PAUL GREENGRASS
STARRING: MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, AMERICAN FERRERA, YUL VAZQUEZ
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Back in 2020, Ron Howard directed a documentary called Rebuilding Paradise which detailed the devastating effects of the wildfires that wiped-out Paradise, California two years earlier. That excellent, if disturbing, film offered actual footage from the horrendous events and then followed residents as they faced the enormous task of attempting to rebuild their homes and neighborhoods. Now comes The Lost Bus which was inspired by a true story of a school bus driver forced to dodge and escape the fires with over twenty grammar school students in his vehicle. It is another difficult to watch story that some may wonder if it is necessary to experience again. I thought it was pretty spectacular but I get the question.
The film is directed by Paul Greengrass who has made films about real-life tragedies before, including his Oscar-nominated United 93, News of the World, and Captain Phillips. He knows how to handle this territory by pushing viewers right into the action. The opening shots illustrate the extremely dry and windy conditions just before the fires and it’s made clear, via a radio report, that the area had 210 days without rain.
Matthew McConaughey plays Kevin McKay, a bus driver who is dealing with an aging parent (played by the actor’s real-life mother), a sick son at home (his real-life son), a nagging ex-wife, and a dispatcher who is on him about a delayed repair to his vehicle. All of these details are revealed in the early scenes giving McConaughey a lot to work with right from the start. At one point, Kevin has to decide whether to bring medicine home to his son or get the students to safety. Given the premise of the film, we know which decision he makes which wracks him with guilt as he endures horrifying conditions and a ticking clock. America Ferrera plays school teacher Mary Ludwig who is tasked with keeping the children calm as the bus makes its way on its treacherous journey.
There’s no question that Greengrass does a great job of building suspense and tension throughout the film. We see shots of the encroaching fires through rear view mirrors and some especially fast moving cameras from the point of view of the fires as they swiftly make their way through the region around Paradise. I thought Greengrass was incorporating what appears to be actual footage from that fateful day but production details suggest otherwise. Greengrass made the film as realistic as possible using a host of incredible visual effects. Shots of debris flying in the air and electrical wires blowing in the wind, for instance, meticulously recreate the dire situation for the characters and viewers.
Also noteworthy is the editing which cuts between the bus, the strategic decisions being made by firefighters, other responders attempting to save lives, and the dispatcher’s station. These cross-cut scenes create non-stop action and tension for most of the film. There are a few brief scenes which offer some levity and additional background details on Kevin and Mary which are necessary to make surrounding scenes even more intense but they do feel a bit like Hollywood exposition filler. Let’s face it, audiences want to see if Kevin can be a hero by the end of the film and get the children to safety. (I can’t imagine what it must have been like to shoot those scenes with kids screaming all day!)
Hollywood, of course, has a history of dramatizing disasters. The entire decade of the 1970s was filled with films such as The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, Earthquake, and four different Airport stories. (They were SO common that 1980’s spoof Airplane just had to be made!) The Lost Bus owes a lot to these films along with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in Speed. The difference here is that this one is “inspired” by a real story. How much of what occurs in the film is actually based on facts is not entirely clear but the experience is harrowing.
Again, the question is why do we need to see this? Why not just watch Rebuilding Paradise which at least doesn’t let the increasing devastation take over its entire running time? The Lost Bus is a very impressive feat of filmmaking though. The special effects should be Oscar-nominated, the energy and tension is relentless, and the actors give great performances. What I also think stands out is how the film salutes dedicated bus drivers and teachers. Don’t we need more films that do that? Indirectly, it also says something about our reliance on apps like Google Maps and Waze. Neither would have worked for long in Kevin’s bus but what he does have is a nice old fashioned hard copy of a map which gives him a sense of necessary direction. How about some love for that?!
I don’t know that I’d want to sit through the film again but there’s no denying it’s a work made by outstanding behind the scenes talent bringing to life something no one should have to experience.
The Lost Bus is currently playing in theaters and will begin streaming on AppleTV+ later this week.
FILM: THE LOST BUS
DIRECTED BY: PAUL GREENGRASS
STARRING: MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, AMERICAN FERRERA, YUL VAZQUEZ
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Back in 2020, Ron Howard directed a documentary called Rebuilding Paradise which detailed the devastating effects of the wildfires that wiped-out Paradise, California two years earlier. That excellent, if disturbing, film offered actual footage from the horrendous events and then followed residents as they faced the enormous task of attempting to rebuild their homes and neighborhoods. Now comes The Lost Bus which was inspired by a true story of a school bus driver forced to dodge and escape the fires with over twenty grammar school students in his vehicle. It is another difficult to watch story that some may wonder if it is necessary to experience again. I thought it was pretty spectacular but I get the question.
The film is directed by Paul Greengrass who has made films about real-life tragedies before, including his Oscar-nominated United 93, News of the World, and Captain Phillips. He knows how to handle this territory by pushing viewers right into the action. The opening shots illustrate the extremely dry and windy conditions just before the fires and it’s made clear, via a radio report, that the area had 210 days without rain.
Matthew McConaughey plays Kevin McKay, a bus driver who is dealing with an aging parent (played by the actor’s real-life mother), a sick son at home (his real-life son), a nagging ex-wife, and a dispatcher who is on him about a delayed repair to his vehicle. All of these details are revealed in the early scenes giving McConaughey a lot to work with right from the start. At one point, Kevin has to decide whether to bring medicine home to his son or get the students to safety. Given the premise of the film, we know which decision he makes which wracks him with guilt as he endures horrifying conditions and a ticking clock. America Ferrera plays school teacher Mary Ludwig who is tasked with keeping the children calm as the bus makes its way on its treacherous journey.
There’s no question that Greengrass does a great job of building suspense and tension throughout the film. We see shots of the encroaching fires through rear view mirrors and some especially fast moving cameras from the point of view of the fires as they swiftly make their way through the region around Paradise. I thought Greengrass was incorporating what appears to be actual footage from that fateful day but production details suggest otherwise. Greengrass made the film as realistic as possible using a host of incredible visual effects. Shots of debris flying in the air and electrical wires blowing in the wind, for instance, meticulously recreate the dire situation for the characters and viewers.
Also noteworthy is the editing which cuts between the bus, the strategic decisions being made by firefighters, other responders attempting to save lives, and the dispatcher’s station. These cross-cut scenes create non-stop action and tension for most of the film. There are a few brief scenes which offer some levity and additional background details on Kevin and Mary which are necessary to make surrounding scenes even more intense but they do feel a bit like Hollywood exposition filler. Let’s face it, audiences want to see if Kevin can be a hero by the end of the film and get the children to safety. (I can’t imagine what it must have been like to shoot those scenes with kids screaming all day!)
Hollywood, of course, has a history of dramatizing disasters. The entire decade of the 1970s was filled with films such as The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, Earthquake, and four different Airport stories. (They were SO common that 1980’s spoof Airplane just had to be made!) The Lost Bus owes a lot to these films along with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in Speed. The difference here is that this one is “inspired” by a real story. How much of what occurs in the film is actually based on facts is not entirely clear but the experience is harrowing.
Again, the question is why do we need to see this? Why not just watch Rebuilding Paradise which at least doesn’t let the increasing devastation take over its entire running time? The Lost Bus is a very impressive feat of filmmaking though. The special effects should be Oscar-nominated, the energy and tension is relentless, and the actors give great performances. What I also think stands out is how the film salutes dedicated bus drivers and teachers. Don’t we need more films that do that? Indirectly, it also says something about our reliance on apps like Google Maps and Waze. Neither would have worked for long in Kevin’s bus but what he does have is a nice old fashioned hard copy of a map which gives him a sense of necessary direction. How about some love for that?!
I don’t know that I’d want to sit through the film again but there’s no denying it’s a work made by outstanding behind the scenes talent bringing to life something no one should have to experience.
The Lost Bus is currently playing in theaters and will begin streaming on AppleTV+ later this week.