L.A. Story

LA Story is a funny and very inventive comedy drama, even though the real love affair is with LA itself. When looking at the storyline, it does look a bit odd, (man receiving love advice from a freeway sign?) but this helps give it a more surreal and somewhat magical edge.

The acting is very good all across the board, even from a non-man-eating Sarah Jessica Parker. It has a lot of quotable dialogue, (she's not young she'll be 27 in 4 years) and some passable cameos from Rick Moranis, Patrick Stewart and Chevy Chase.

Perhaps some scenes get a bit too sentimental and make the film seem a bit uneven. But I think this helps improve the shape of its overall atmosphere, and make it heart-warming and not just a bit of gas.

LA Story is an underrated classic. It's consistently enjoyable, nicely acted and highly memorable. 7.5 out of 10.

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.

In Los Angeles, the meteorologist Harris K. Telemacher (Steve Martin) is the wacky weatherman of television news. He has a wasted relationship with his obnoxious girlfriend Trudi (Marilu Henner) and he feel that he lives a boring life.

When Harris meets the Londoner journalist Sara McDowell (Victoria Tennant), who has come to LA to write en article for the London Times, in a brunch party with her ex-husband Roland Mackey (Richard E. Grant) and other friends, he believes that she is the woman of his life. Harris does not know how to seduce her and he discovers that Trudi has been cheating him with his agent for three years. Then Harry dates the younger aspirant spokesmodel SanDeE* (Sarah Jessica Parker) because he believes that Sara is interested in her ex-husband. However a freeway signpost helps Harry to woo Sara.

"L.A. Story" is a romantic comedy that is still delightful and witty after so many years from the release. The chemistry between Steve Martin and his wife is perfect and there are hilarious dialogs and situations, like for example, when Harris tells Sara that he would like to take her on a cultural tour of L.A., and Sara replies that this would be the first fifteen minutes. Or when he tells to SanDeE* that her breasts are weird and she answers that it is because they are real. Or when SanDeE* and Roland fantasize with Mel Gibson. In addition, there are cameos of many actors and famous people. The music score by Enya is awesome and fits perfectly to the conclusion. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "L.A. Story"

Steve Martin plays Harris K. Telemacher, a funny weatherman who's in a relationship with Trudi (Marilu Henner) but falls for a British journalist Sara McDowel (Victoria Tennant).He also meets an energetic young woman SanDeE (Sarah Jessica Parker) on the way.He gets some important messages from a freeway sign like that the weather will change his life in two ways.L.A. Story (1991) is a great romantic fantasy comedy from Mick Jackson.It's written by Steve Martin, who also gives an amazing performance in the lead.This 59 year old comedian has made us laughed in many hilarious movies in the past.Hopefully he still will do so in the future.Let's see how he can fill the shoes of Peter Sellers in the upcoming Pink Panther movie.Other actors do a great job as well.Sarah Jessica Parker can be seen there before she was a huge star.This year she stopped working in Sex and the City after six years.You can also see, more or less, people like Richard E. Grant, Iman, Rick Moranis, Chevy Chase, Kevin Pollak, Patrick Stewart and Woody Harrelson.L.A. Story is a declaration of love to Los Angeles like Woody Allen has made many to New York.This movie is full of extremely funny scenes.I found myself laughing many times watching this movie.Isn't that what makes a good comedy?

Outwardly, it's a ridiculous plot line. Steve Martin as the sensitive, wacky weatherman... falling in love with a British woman and somehow accidentally getting involved with the Sex in the City girl along the way. The reality of it is, though, there are so many charming details in the movie... vivid images and pictures painted in various scenes alluding to the childlike innocence of falling in love, the magic of letting yourself go and following the advice of an electric traffic sign... this movie become more enjoyable as you watch it more and shouldn't that be how a movie should be? Shouldn't it get more enjoyable instead of LESS enjoyable like most movies made today, that start with a shock and go downhill? Steve Martin shines throughout this movie and you share his gleeful moments... for example after he's tickled to find that his wife is having an affair with his agent and he converts his make-believe-shock into a dance as he approaches his then-a-symbol-of-affluence LeBaron in the street... when he tosses his hat to himself after he sets up another way to see the woman he is falling for... Simultaneously, though, you share his confusion as to how to handle the relationship with the over-energetic, giddy 23 year old he's accidentally fallen into bed with along the way. This is a complex movie that presents itself so innocently, you can't help but enjoy it. And, as a tribute to the brilliance of "The Man With Two Brains," he even manages to insert a portion of the (now legendary) "Pointy Birds" poem. In all, this is a worthwhile experience if you're willing to watch it all the way through. This is a movie for Steve Martin fans, because his unique, sensitive, accessible brand of humor and (more importantly) of life is apparent throughout.