L.A. Story

"L.A. Story"
Mick Jackson, 1991

Harris Telemacher, who is played by Steve Martin, is a local news station's weatherman, a titular position since L.A. is always sunny and seventy-two degrees - with the occasional threat of freezing fifty-eight degree weather, of course. "L.A. Story" starts off as a promising, funny critique of L.A.'s purely superficial culture. One particularly memorable sequence, "The Spring Equinox," depicts Telemacher, driving with his material-oriented girlfriend, defending himself from other vicious drivers on a freeway by pulling out a pistol and engaging in intense gunfights.

Even for a film that fully embraces its obvious critique of L.A., throwing jokes at every possible turn, it's surprising how quickly "L.A. Story" loses steam. After the first fifteen minutes, Steve Martin, who is the writer, seem to run out of ideas and his film suddenly becomes a predictable love story, where Telemacher falls in love with an awkward British woman who is anything but superficial. There are moments of touching comedic brilliance, especially those in which a lonely freeway sign sends cryptic messages to Telemacher, but in straying from its more inspired beginnings, "L.A. Story" ends up being an experience that isn't all that memorable.

Rating: 6

First Viewed: 7/3/08, on DVD
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