L.A. Story (1991)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Mick Jackson

Writer (WGA):

Steve Martin (written by)

Release Date:

8 February 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

Something funny is happening in L.A.

Plot:

With the help of a talking freeway billboard, a "wacky weatherman" tries to win the heart of an English newspaper reporter, who is struggling to make sense of the strange world of early-90s Los Angeles.

Plot Keywords:

Male Female Relationship | Earthquake | Reference To Shakespeare | Abstract Art | City Name In Title

Cast

Steve Martin	...	Harris K. Telemacher
Victoria Tennant	...	Sara McDowel
Richard E. Grant	...	Roland Mackey
Marilu Henner	...	Trudi
Sarah Jessica Parker	...	SanDeE*
Susan Forristal	...	Ariel
Kevin Pollak	...	Frank Swan
Sam McMurray	...	Morris Frost
Patrick Stewart	...	Mr. Perdue, Maitre D' at L'Idiot
Andrew Amador	...	Bob, News Anchor
Gail Grate	...	Gail, News Anchor
Eddie De Harp	...	Maitre D' at Brunch
M.C. Shan	...	Rap Waiter at L'Idiot
Frances Fisher	...	June
Iman	...	Cynthia

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Finland:S | Germany:6 | Netherlands:AL | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

1206 N. Orange Grove Avenue, West Hollywood, California, USA

Company:

Carolco Pictures

Trivia:

Cameo: [Woody Harrelson]Harris' boss at the TV station

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: After running into Sara and Roland in the museum, Harris picks himself up off the floor saying "I get that," but his lips are clearly saying something else.

Quotes:

Harris: So, I'll see you Sunday?
Trudi: I got a shower Sunday.
Harris: Oh yeah, and I really should take a bath... Monday?

Movie Connections:

References The Man with Two Brains (1983)

Soundtrack:

On Your Shore

Martin at His Best

When Steve Martin is hot, he's really hot. L.A. Story, written by Steve Martin, is hot. The entire film keeps you in a state of constant chuckling. And, the movie has more than a few moments of comedic genius. It's the cumulative effect of little jokes littered throughout the film, both verbal and visual, that keeps you in stitches. On top of that, it piques your interest.

Here's what I mean: while Martin mercilessly it pokes fun of L.A. for it's flakiness, it's love and tolerance of idiosyncrasies, it's constant preoccupation with image, it's narcissism, the humor is never vulgar, crass, or shallow. For example, one scene takes place in the municipal art museum. We see Harry Telemacher (Steve Martin), with his friends, rapt in admiration for a painting. The camera angle comes from the canvas itself, where we watch Harry, deep in thought, dissertate on the subjects in the portrait, their motives, actions, and hidden agendas. He moves forward, backward, forward again, as if in active dialogue with the lacquer. At last, moving backward, he concludes his remarks by wrinkling his nose in disgust and saying `Look at the way he's holding her: it's almost filthy!' And then the camera moves around to Telemacher's perspective. The painting's a total abstraction. There isn't a distinct line in the entire rectangular frame. In the argot of Postmodernism, one might call it a `readerly' work of art.

It's the perfect metaphor for L.A., where you may interpret anything, any way you like. There's no standard, except one's own `personal reality.' No one can use social norms as a personal club to tell someone else, `You're wrong,' because there is none. It's all `what-E-verrrr.'

Best of all, L.A. Story is a love story, the kind of love that adores someone as much for their faults as for their virtues. Martin's satire is so effective because he loves the city so much.