L.A. Story

Directed by Mick Jackson, L.A. Story details the oddball exploits of a California-based weatherman (Steve Martin’s Harris K. Telemacher) and his efforts at successfully wooing a British journalist (Victoria Tennant’s Sara). Filmmaker Jackson, working from Martin’s screenplay, delivers an unabashedly surreal comedy that’s been infused with a whole host of appealingly off-kilter elements, including a recurring bit involving Harris’ conversations with a sentient traffic sign, and it’s apparent, certainly, that L.A. Story succeeds purely as a larger-than-life, laugh-out-loud funny satire of Los Angeles superficiality and culture – with the picture’s overt success due in no small part to Martin’s incredibly (and predictably) appealing turn as the compelling protagonist. (It doesn’t hurt, clearly, that Martin’s been surrounded by a raft of personable performers, including Richard E. Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kevin Pollak.) And although some of the jokes and gags don’t quite land (eg Harris’ encounter with Patrick Stewart’s imperious maitre d’ is a little underwhelming), L.A. Story benefits quite substantially from a second half devoted, to an increasingly predominant extent, to the burgeoning relationship between Martin and Tennant’s respective characters – with the genuinely sweet bent of this subplot, when combined with the performers palpable chemistry together, ultimately ensuring that picture works best as a surprisingly involving and engaging romantic comedy. The final result is an above-average endeavor that’s as hilarious as it is smart, and it goes without saying that the film has aged exceedingly well in the years since its 1991 release.

***1/2 out of ****