- 1991movierewind
Episode #125: L.A. Story
Listen to Episode 125 of the Podcast here while you enjoy the show notes.
SUMMARY - In L.A. Story, Steve Martin plays the wacky weatherman Harris Telemacher who is at a crossroads in his life. Disillusioned with the direction his relationship and his job have been taking, he’s trying to find a purpose in Los Angeles. Thankfully, he’s stumbled upon a sentient billboard on the freeway that is giving him advice.
Screenplay by Steve Martin; Directed by Mick Jackson; and released on February 8,1991.
FILM DISCUSSION
The movie gives a quick introduction of what the style of humor will be. Various farcical and surreal scenes.
These are also sprinkled throughout and usually follow a normal conversation. Extreme absurdism can take over at any moment
Other times, the conversations themselves provide the ridiculous commentary
There's also a surprising amount of "modern" conveniences and inventions represented.
The cast is huge with tons of cameos (many uncredited) and plenty of Shakespeare references as well
But most cast do not matter aside from the main four. The ex-couple
And the no pressure couple led by a fantastic, bubbly, charming performance from Sarah Jessica Parker
Even though the movie makes fun of L.A., it still manages to make many of the locations look great.
Not everything is great though. The story seemed to have been missing some things and understanding what the cutting room floor looked like, it sounds like maybe some key points got cut too.
Awards Talk: At the American Comedy Awards, it earned two nominations. Steve Martin for Funniest Lead Actor and Marilu Henner for Supporting Actress
TRUE CRIME & POP CULTURE
This week we don't have any true crime to talk about so we start with sports.
What Happened On This Day? Roger Clemens signed the largest baseball contract at the time
We go over this LA Times Article about the Top 25 Movies About LA
And we talk about Steve Martin's extensive music career
RANKINGS & RATINGS
Nikki 1-5 star scale - 3 out of 5
Jon 0-4 star scale - 3 out of 4
Would you watch it again? - Yes, we both found the movie very charming and cute and incredibly clever even if neither of us thought it was exactly laugh-out-loud funny. It also made us want to watch other Steve Martin movies to the extent that we immediately watched "All of Me" after we were done with this.
If you want to watch L.A. Story, as of this recording in August 2023, it’s available on Digital Rental, VHS, DVD. Check your local listings.
NEXT EPISODE & WHERE TO FIND US
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Join us next time for Straight Out of Brooklyn available on VHS, DVD
