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4d ago

The Lost Bus Opens in Theaters as Reviews Praise Craft and Question Accuracy

Early notices emphasize visceral filmmaking and performances alongside concerns over dramatized departures from the Camp Fire record.

America Ferrara, left, and Matthew McConaughey play a teacher and a schoolbus driver fleeing the 2018 Camp Fire in “The Lost Bus.”
Filmmaker Paul Greengrass, center, during the filming of “The Lost Bus.” His goal was to make escaping the 2018 Camp Fire an immersive experience.
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Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera in The Lost Bus; flames from the Camp fire burn near a home atop a ridge near Big Bend, California

Overview

  • Paul Greengrass directs the dramatization of the 2018 Camp Fire, adapted from Lizzie Johnson’s book Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire.
  • Matthew McConaughey stars as bus driver Kevin McKay with America Ferrera as teacher Mary Ludwig and Yul Vazquez as a composite Cal Fire battalion chief.
  • Critics commend Greengrass’s immersive handheld approach and detailed sound design, noting the intensity of the on-bus sequences.
  • Reviews report significant factual liberties, including composite characters, condensing teachers to one, and reshaped escape scenes for heightened tension.
  • The film opens in select theaters Sept. 26 with Apple TV+ streaming set for Oct. 3, and it features a James Newton Howard score plus songs like Broken Halos and Peace & Love.