Lost & Found is a 1999 romantic comedy film directed by Jeff Pollack, starring David Spade and Sophie Marceau.
In a bid to win the affections of his new neighbor, a beautiful French cellist named Lila Dubois (Marceau), L.A. restaurateur Dylan Ramsey (Spade) kidnaps her beloved dog Baxter, intending to use the pretense of a dog hunt to get to know Lila before returning the pooch, thus looking like a hero. However, when Dylan is entrusted with a ring that his friend Mark (Mitchell Whitfield) intends to give to his wife for their upcoming anniversary, Baxter accidentally swallows it, and thus Dylan must keep him hidden until he can recover the ring, while keeping Lila distracted so that she doesn't find out.
Further complications arise when Lila's arrogant ex-boyfriend Rene (Patrick Bruel) appears, intending to win Lila back, and when Dylan, Mark, and dimwitted Wally (Artie Lange) must figure out a way to secure a loan in order to expand their restaurant.
This film contains examples of:
- Black Comedy Animal Cruelty: Baxter suffers occasional abuse on Dylan's part, which includes accidentally dropping him and throwing him into another room when Lila knocks at the door. When he hides Dylan in the dryer and claims he is drying his clothes, Lila sees that it's not turned on and puts in a quarter, accidentally causing Baxter to suffer inside the dryer. He is never shown to be seriously hurt and these are played for laughs.
- Chekhov's Gunman: The boy at the pet store who abuses a bird. Dylan tries to get him to stop, and backs down after the boy threatens to falsely accuse him of molesting him. At the end, when Rene rudely cuts in front of him to use the restroom first, Dylan tells the cops that he had touched him.
- Comedic Sociopathy: Dylan sees nothing wrong with kidnapping a dog in order to woo the dog's beautiful owner.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Dylan finally gets the ring back except the main piece is missing. He has to spend five thosuand dollars to get it replaced with a diamond, refusing Coppertone. His friend later reveals that the ring had Coppertone instead of a diamond, him and his wife agreeing to go cheap first and later replace it with a diamond.
- Crash-Into Hello: Dylan and Lila meet when Lila collides with Dylan while chasing her dog.
- Deadpan Snarker: Dylan, as one might expect from a character played by David Spade.Dylan: I'll need it by tomorrow.Jeweler: That will cost extra.Dylan: And isn't it great how that works out for you. 'Cause it really could have gone either way.
- Everyone Looks Sexier if French: Lila. When she's played by Sophie Marceau, this is a given.
- Fan Disservice: Wally plays strip poker with old ladies, who end up losing and seen in their bras.
- Foreign Cuss Word: Lila angrily throws her ex-boyfriend Rene out of her apartment, yelling"Connard!" (French for "motherfucker", "shit head ", or "asshole"), after coming out of her bathroom and finding him stark naked in her living room (she dumped him and moved to California because of his frequent cheating).
- French Jerk: Rene, Lila's ex-fiancee, is both French and an arrogant jerk.
- Lost Wedding Ring: Dylan is entrusted with a ring that his buddy Mark intends to give to his wife for their anniversary. Unfortunately Baxter accidentally swallows it.
- Mistaken for Gay: Wally, who wants to be just like Dylan, ends up sleeping with him, since Dylan sleeps in just boxer shorts than so does Wally. Lila comes by and sees them both that way and thinks they are a couple at first.
- Mistaken for Pedophile: At the end, Rene cuts in front of a boy in line to use the restroom, and he falsely tells the cops he had touched him.
- Mushroom Samba: Dylan comes home to find Baxter lying on the floor, clearly having gotten into drugs as he sees Dylan in different clothing.
- Naked People Are Funny: Lila thinks over Rene, thinking it's been a long time and maybe he's changed. Then she comes into the other room and Rene is suddenly naked, thinking she'd be pleased.
- Refuge in Audacity: In the climax, Dylan is struggling to get the Millstones to approve his loan, until he learns that Mrs. Millstone is a fan of Neil Diamond. Figuring that he's not likely to get the loan anyway, he decides to perform a Neil Diamond song for them, hoping that maybe he can impress Millstone with his guts. It works.
- Right Behind Me: Once Wally finds and brings Baxter to Dylan and Rene says he will tell Lila once he returns the dog, Dylan's friends overhear and ask about it, with Dylan explaining why he did it. Dylan starts just as Lila enters and is behind him, finding out the whole thing.
- Smug Snake: Rene is an arrogant asshole who isn't nearly as clever or witty as he thinks he is. This is highlighted when he tries to brag to Dylan that Lila will come back to him because "history repeats itself", but can't remember what the phrase is in English.
- Skewed Priorities: Rene finds out that Dylan had Baxter in his apartment, only for Baxter to accidently run out the window before he shows up to show Lila. After he happens to answer a phone call from somebody who found Baxter, he goes to retrieve the dog without telling Lila. Instead of acting as a hero in an attempt to win her back, he puts the dog in Dylan's car in an effort to prove Dylan kidnapped the dog.
- STD Immunity: Technically averted when Lila warns herself against reconciling with Rene—"This is Rene. Liar. Cheat. Potential carrier of venereal disease."—acknowledging the consequences of promiscuity/infidelity.
