Steve
Martin is Harris K. Telemacher, a “wacky” weather presenter on TV in
Los Angeles, and this film is essentially the tale of his “enlightnment”.
When he meets Sara McDowel (Victoria Tennant) he finds himself caught
up in a strange series of events that prove the power of his passion
and the power of the “City of Angels”. L.A Story is a bizarre concoction
of Steve Martin comedy and fantasy; a blend of hilarious scenes, coupled
with a unique perspective on LA and it’s denizens. When one minute
the plot appears to be straightforward, the next a completely off-the-wall
scene is thrown in and the film twists into the twilight of Pythonesque-like
surrealism. I loved it. The underlying premise that Shakespeare
was from LA and that all English people are odd is firmly mingled with
the overall display of American absurdity- this is an incisive piece
of work and does not even attempt to take itself seriously. Singing
traffic signs, gravediggers quoting Shakespeare, some haunting Enya
tracks and damn fine performances from all involved make this a quirky,
but hugely enjoyable film. Martin is at his cavorting best here,
with good straight-faced support from Tennant, Marilu Henner and Richard
E Grant. Sarah Jessica Parker is perhaps a bit bouncy as SanDeE*,
but then I assume she is supposed to be- it just grated a wee bit.
The slice of LA life is captured excellently in the shots of the populace
going about their daily bizarre business and few aspects of Hollywoodism
escape unmolested. A huge swipe at pretentiousness is also a good
description. This is so much better fare than later Martin efforts,
such as Father of the Bride and Housesitter- if only he could do this
ALL the time. But maybe that’s my sense of humour. There is a deep lying love
for all America’s foibles here, and the direction and acting (from Martin
mostly) bely a belief in a stronger, more potent force than just the
daily grind- a force brought about by the power of people just “being”
rather than “doing”. Combine this with a maniacal performance
from Steve Martin and you get a funny, and extremely entertaining piece
of film. DJY
STORYLINE:
70% ACTING: 70% (90% for Martin) SPECIAL EFFECTS: N/A CINEMATOGRAPHY: 65%
OVERALL:
72%
Best
Quote: I could never be a
woman. If I were, I would do nothing but sit at home all day playing
with my breasts
Main
Cast List 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 Andrew Amador .... Male
News Reporter Gail Grate .... Female News
Reporter Eddie De Harp .... Maitre
d' at Brunch M.C. Shan .... Rap Waiter
at L'Idiot Frances Fisher .... June Iman .... Cynthia Tommy Hinkley .... Ted
