L.A. Story (1991)

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 1990s Los Angeles.

Director:

Mick Jackson

Writer:

Steve Martin

Stars:

Steve Martin, Victoria Tennant, Richard E. Grant

1 nomination.

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 (as Eddie DeHarp)
M.C. Shan	...	Rap Waiter at L'Idiot
Frances Fisher	...	June
Iman	...	Cynthia

Storyline

Harris K. Telemacher is a "wacky weekend weatherman" for a local Los Angeles television station, who is searching for meaning in his otherwise cliché ridden Los Angeles life. With the help of an insightful and talkative Freeway sign, Harris embarks on a journey through Los Angeles in pursuit of Sarah, an English reporter who has been sent to the City of Angels to research an article for the London Times.

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Plot Keywords:

television news | weatherman | television | surrealism | slow motion scene | 

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Taglines:

Something funny is happening in L.A.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 February 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los Angeles Story

Filming Locations:

Spring Street Towers - 650 S. Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,616,915, 10 February 1991, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$28,862,081

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Pictures, IndieProd Company Productions, L.A. Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Second of two movies that former partners Steve Martin and Victoria Tennant made together. The first being All of Me (1984).

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Goofs

The close up of the airliner's throttle levers towards the end of the movie shows that there are four throttle levers, one for each of the four engines. The next shot is of a taxiing DC-10 which only has three engines and would only have three throttle levers.

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Quotes

Harris: I don't think we should make love, all right?
SanDeE*: Okay, we'll just have sex.

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Crazy Credits

SanDeE* (Sarah Jessica Parker) is very peculiar about how her name is spelled. Still, the character is listed as "Sandy" in the credits.

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Alternate Versions

A deleted scene featuring John Lithgow was reinstated in the cable-tv version of the film.

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Connections

Referenced in Game k n b?: Episode dated 5 October 2006 (2006)

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Soundtracks

Clouds
Written by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson

User Reviews

A story well told

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?