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 | 1990s | reversing the polarity | columbia tristar | satirical | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

There are numerous references to William Shakespeare: the gravedigger scene is from "Hamlet", Harris K. Telemacher (Steve Martin) quotes Shakespeare twice, and the storyline contains elements from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (with the two confused couples exchanging lovers) and "The Tempest" (with a magic storm stranding the lovers, the gods (in the form of stone lions) blessing the couple, and a character named Ariel).

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Goofs

Near the end of the film when signposts are shown scattered across the L.A freeways, some signposts are planted right in the center of a road.

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Quotes

Harris: I'm not kissing anyone hello anymore.
Trudi: Well just shake hands with them.
Harris: Are you kidding? I just wash my hands and I shake hands with some guy that feels like he's been squashing caterpillars.

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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

Spoofed in Doug: Doug's Bum Rap/Doug & Patti Sittin' in a Tree (1993)

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Soundtracks

La Mer
Music by Charles Trenet
Lyrics by Charles Trenet
Performed by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli
Courtesy of RCA Records, A Division of BMG Music

User Reviews

Nostalgic and very witty tale. A bit uneven but will serve well in the memory.

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 February 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

L.A. 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

Gross USA:

$28,862,081

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$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