The Lost Bus is a 2025 American survival drama film directed by Paul Greengrass, who co-wrote the screenplay with Brad Ingelsby. It is based on the non-fiction 2021 book Paradise: One Town's Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire by Lizzie Johnson about the 2018 Camp Fire. It stars Matthew McConaughey, America Ferrera, Yul Vazquez and Ashlie Atkinson.
The Lost Bus | |
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Directed by | Paul Greengrass |
Screenplay by |
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Based on | Paradise: One Town's Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire by Lizzie Johnson |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Pål Ulvik Rokseth |
Music by | James Newton Howard |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Apple Original Films (through Apple TV+) |
Release dates |
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Running time | 130 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
It had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on September 5, which was followed by a limited theatrical release in the United States on September 19, and its global premiere on Apple TV+ on October 3.[2] The film received generally positive reviews.
Premise
editA bus driver has to navigate a bus carrying children and their teacher to safety through the 2018 Camp Fire, which became the deadliest fire in California history.[3]
Cast
edit- Matthew McConaughey as Kevin McKay, the bus driver
- America Ferrera as Mary Ludwig, the school teacher
- Yul Vazquez as Ray Martinez, Cal Fire Division chief
- Ashlie Atkinson as Ruby, the bus depot dispatcher
- Levi McConaughey as Shaun McKay, Kevin's son
- Kay McCabe McConaughey as Sherry McKay, Kevin's disabled mother
- Kate Wharton as Jen Kissoon, Cal Fire battalion chief
- Danny McCarthy as McKenzie
- Spencer Watson as Hopkins
- Nathan Gariety as Levi
- Gary Kraus as Sheriff Thomas
Production
editIn June 2022, Jamie Lee Curtis for Comet Films and Jason Blum for Blumhouse Productions were developing the film as producers, an adaptation of Lizzie Johnson's book Paradise: One Town's Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire.[4] In January 2024, Paul Greengrass was attached to direct, Matthew McConaughey was set to star, and Apple Inc. entered talks to distribute.[5][6] In February 2024, America Ferrera joined the cast, and Apple was confirmed to be distributing.[7] In May 2024, Yul Vazquez, Ashlie Atkinson, and Spencer Watson joined the cast.[8][9]
McConaughey's son, Levi, stars in the film but auditioned without using his last name.[10] The character of Sherry McKay is also played by McConaughey's real-life mother.[11]
Principal photography began on April 1, 2024, in Ruidoso, New Mexico.[12]
Release
editThe Lost Bus had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on September 5, 2025.[13][14] It was released in select theaters on September 19, and streamed on Apple TV+ on October 3, 2025.[15]
Reception
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 49 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Recreating a real-life disaster with terrifying authenticity, The Lost Bus ratchets up the tension while maintaining a humanist core thanks to Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera's effective performances."[16] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[17]
In a review for The Washington Post, Ty Burr described the film as an "effective human drama" while praising the visual effects. Bur, who awarded the movie 2.5 out of 4 stars, also wrote that the visual effects sometimes overpowered the characters.[11] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times gave the movie an unfavorable review, criticizing the dialogue as "formulaic" and America Ferrera's character as "a lazy cliché".[18]
References
edit- ^ "The Lost Bus (15)". British Board of Film Classification. August 4, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
- ^ "Matthew McConaughey, America Ferrera Save Children From Fire in 'The Lost Bus' Trailer". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation. July 29, 2025. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ White, James (January 28, 2024). "Matthew McConaughey In Talks To Star In The Lost Bus For Director Paul Greengrass". Empire. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (June 22, 2022). "Jamie Lee Curtis' Comet Pictures And Blumhouse Developing Lizzie Johnson's 'Paradise: One Town's Struggle To Survive An American Wildfire' As Feature Film". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (January 26, 2024). "Matthew McConaughey To Star In 'The Lost Bus' With Paul Greengrass Directing And Jamie Lee Curtis And Jason Blum Producing; Apple In Talks To Acquire". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ Kit, Borys; Gajewski, Ryan (January 26, 2024). "Apple in Talks to Land Thriller 'The Lost Bus' From Matthew McConaughey, Director Paul Greengrass". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ Davis, Clayton (February 21, 2024). "America Ferrera to Star in Paul Greengrass' Wildfire Drama 'The Lost Bus' With Matthew McConaughey (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (May 3, 2024). "Yul Vazquez Latest To Join Paul Greengrass Pic 'The Lost Bus'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (May 9, 2024). "Ashlie Atkinson & Spencer Watson Round Out Cast Of Apple's 'The Lost Bus'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
- ^ "Matthew McConaughey snuck son into audition for new movie by hiding famous last name". EW.com. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
- ^ a b Burr, Ty (September 25, 2025). "Review | Matthew McConaughey propels an intense action script in 'The Lost Bus'". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
- ^ "VILLAGE OF RUIDOSO LAUNCHES CENTRALIZED HUB FOR "THE LOST BUS" FILMING UPDATES". Village of Rudioso. March 27, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
- ^ "The Lost Bus". TIFF. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 16, 2025). "TIFF Unveils Round Of World Premieres With 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' & Pics From Derek Cianfrance, Paul Greengrass, Nicholas Hytner, Hikari & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ Oganesyan, Natalie (July 29, 2025). "'The Lost Bus' Trailer: Matthew McConaughey, America Ferrera Try To Rescue Schoolchildren From 2018 Camp Fire In Paul Greengrass Thriller". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ "The Lost Bus". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
- ^ "The Lost Bus". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
- ^ Dargis, Manohla (September 18, 2025). "'The Lost Bus' Review: Matthew McConaughey Rides Out Disaster". Retrieved September 26, 2025.
External links
edit- The Lost Bus at IMDb