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L.A. Story (1991)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer (WGA):
Steve Martin (written by)
Release Date:
8 February 1991 (USA)
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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. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
NewsDesk:
(9 articles)
Going Google: A New Contender in the Microsoft vs. Apple Advertising Battle
(From Fast Company. 3 August 2009, 6:00 AM, PDT)
"Take Back the Beep" Challenges Cellphone Networks to Play Nice
(From Fast Company. 31 July 2009, 8:00 AM, PDT)
(From Fast Company. 3 August 2009, 6:00 AM, PDT)
"Take Back the Beep" Challenges Cellphone Networks to Play Nice
(From Fast Company. 31 July 2009, 8:00 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Martin at His Best
more (84 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | 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 |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
95 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
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:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Even though the film had a number of great songs, a soundtrack for this film was never released.
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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.
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Quotes:
[Explaining itself, quoting Shakespeare's "Hamlet"]
The Signboard: There are more things in heaven and earth, Harry, than are dreamt of N your philosophy.
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The Signboard: There are more things in heaven and earth, Harry, than are dreamt of N your philosophy.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in All That I Need (2005)
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Soundtrack:
I've Had My Moments
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (84 total)
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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.