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 ... Read allWith 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.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.
- Awards
- 3 nominations total
- Maitre D' at Brunch
- (as Eddie DeHarp)
- Rap Waiter at L'Idiot
- (as M. C. Shan)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSteve Martin and Victoria Tennant were married at the time.
- GoofsIn the credits Sarah Jessica Parker's character is listed as "Sandy" and not "SanDeE*".
- Quotes
Harris: [in admiring a painting] I like the relationships. I mean, each character has his own story. The puppy is a bit too much, but you have to over look things like that in these kinds of paintings. The way he's *holding* her... it's almost... filthy. I mean, he's about to kiss her and she's pulling away. The way the leg's sort of smashed up against her... Phew... Look how he's painted the blouse sort of translucent. You can just make out her breasts underneath and it's sort of touching him about here. It's really... pretty torrid, don't you think? Then of course you have the onlookers peeking at them from behind the doorway like they're all shocked. They wish. Yeah, I must admit, when I see a painting like this, I get emotionally... erect.
[the painting is then revealed to be solely a red rectangle]
- Crazy creditsSanDeE* (Sarah Jessica Parker) is very peculiar about how her name is spelled. Still, the character is listed as "Sandy" in the credits.
- Alternate versionsA deleted scene featuring John Lithgow was reinstated in the cable-tv version of the film.
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.
- How long is L.A. Story?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- LA Story
- Filming locations
- Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA(entrance & foyer used as "L'Idiot Restaurant"/trellis area used for brunch restaurant/ballroom area used for the El Pollo Del Mar hotel rooms)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $28,862,081
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $6,616,915
- Feb 10, 1991
- Gross worldwide
- $28,862,081
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
