By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY DRIVES HOME HEROISM IN "THE LOST BUS"
Matthew McConaughey gives an outstanding performance alongside an equally impressive
America Ferrera ("The Cat in the Hat") in the new survival drama
"The Lost Bus" from director/co-writer and producer
Paul Greengrass ("The Rage").
"The Lost Bus" debuts Oct. 3 on AppleTV+.
Based on the true events of the
2018 Camp Fire in Paradise California–the deadliest wildfire in California history–the film captures a level of devastation so staggering, it would be hard to believe even if it weren't real.
McConaughey plays Kevin McKay, a worn-down school bus driver whose confidence is all but extinguished by a string of personal failures. He feels he's let down his son–played with striking naturalness by McConaughey's real-life son, Levi McConaughey–and is quietly drowning in depression as the film opens.
In a poignant touch of realism, McConaughey's actual mother,
Kay McConaughey, plays Kevin's on-screen mother. Their chemistry adds layers of heartbreak and grit, especially in early scenes where Kevin contemplates quitting the job he believes has come to define his shortcomings.
Kevin can't seem to catch a break and his boss Ruby (Ashlie Atkinson, "TV's "The Gilded Age") has little patience for all of his family drama. And there is plenty of it. His mother is ill, his dog has cancer, he and his son don't see eye to eye, his ex-wife is moving on and he needs more money for everything, but there isn't any overtime available at work.
Then everything changes on November 8, 2018 when the fire hits. It was a nightmare of events that transpired so quickly no one could have imagined. As flames race across Butte County, Kevin finds himself behind the wheel of an aging school bus tasked with evacuating 22 schoolchildren as the inferno closes in.
What follows is a harrowing ride through smoke-choked roads, falling embers, and moments where survival seems impossible.
Greengrass, known for his visceral realism in films like "United 93" and "Captain Phillips," crafts pulse-pounding sequences that feel terrifyingly immediate. His signature shaky-cam style, combined with seamless practical effects and minimal CGI, turns each frame into a ticking time bomb, leaving viewers clutching their seats.
The film doesn't shy away from the uncomfortable truth of what sparked the devastation. In stark, unblinking terms, it calls out PG&E's negligence–downed power lines and decaying infrastructure are not just backdrops but a central part of the story's anger and grief.
Greengrass avoids any sugarcoating, making corporate accountability a thread woven into both the plot and the emotional stakes.
As the fire explodes beyond early containment efforts, we meet Cal Fire Chief Hector Martinez, played with steely gravitas by Yul Vazquez (TV's "Will Trent" and "Severance"). He quickly realizes his crew aren't fighting a fire, but racing it as resources are stretched thin, mutual aid crews are overwhelmed, and the operation pivots from firefighting to evacuation and grim search-and-rescue.
Ferrera plays Mary Ludwig, a no-nonsense schoolteacher who becomes Kevin's unlikely co-pilot during the crisis. Her layered performance as a woman determined to protect her students while grappling with her own fears complements McConaughey's vulnerability perfectly. Their bond, forged under such horrific circumstances, becomes the true heart of the movie.
The children, many of whom are played by first-time actors, deliver raw, unscripted moments that further the documentary-like realism Greengrass was clearly aiming for.
I saw “The Lost Bus” at a packed screening and when the children and their driver finally emerged from the raging fire, the entire theater let out a collective, breathless sigh of relief, a "whew, thank goodness."
"The Lost Bus" isn't just a survival film; it's a meditation on redemption, community, and the untapped courage that lies dormant in ordinary people.
McConaughey, in one of his most fierce roles to date, reminds us that even when a man believes he has nothing left to give, he can still become the reason 22 lives are saved.
"The Lost Bus" begins streaming Oct. 3 on AppleTV+.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays now at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Watch This Trailer For
"THE LOST BUS"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
