L.A. STORY [1991 / 2006] [Blu-ray] [Denmark Release] Something Funny is Happening in L.A.! This is the First Great Comedy of the 90’s!
Steve Martin is Harris K. Telemacher is a “wacky weekend television weatherman” for a local Los Angeles television station who is searching for meaning to his otherwise cliché ridden Los Angeles life. However, driving home one night, Harris K. Telemacher suddenly comes across a philosophising road sign on the L.A. freeway, that wants to help him find direction within his life. Harris K. Telemacher then embarks on a journey through Los Angeles in pursuit of Sara McDowel [Victoria Tennant], an English reporter who has been sent to the City of Angels to research an article for the London Times.
FILM FACT: There are uncredited cameo appearances by Chevy Chase, Woody Harrelson, Paula Abdul, Martin Lawrence, Rick Moranis and this would be the fourth and final film in which Rick Moranis appeared with Steve Martin. Terry Jones, John Lithgow and Scott Bakula filmed scenes respectively as a movie agent and Harris K. Telemacher's neighbour that did not appear in the final cut, although references to John Lithgow's character remain in the freeway shootout and the “California Cuisine” lunch scenes. Steve Martin and Victoria Tennant were real-life husband and wife at the time of the film's production.
Cast: Steve Martin, Victoria Tennant, Richard E. Grant, Marilu Henner, Sarah Jessica Parker, Susan Forristal, Kevin Pollak, Sam McMurray, Patrick Stewart, Andrew Amador, Gail Grate, Eddie De Harp, M.C. Shan, Frances Fisher, Iman, Tommy Hinkley, Larry Miller, Anne Crawford, Samantha McCoy, Thornton Simmons, Dennis Dragon, Richard Stahl, Aaron Lustig, Julianna McCarthy, Time Winters, Pierre Epstein, Wesley Thompson, George Plimpton, David Glyn Price, Wesley Mann, Mark Steen, Jaime Gomez, Amy Wallace, Cheryl Baker, Mary R. Boss, Scott Johnston, Robert Lind, Tony Marsico, Burt Macke, Mary Pedersen, Matt Stetson, Brian Banowetz (uncredited), Sean Michael Beyer (uncredited), Michael E. Burgess (uncredited), Chevy Chase (uncredited), Tina Cote (uncredited), Larry Echerer (uncredited), Woody Harrelson (uncredited), Terry Jones (voice) (uncredited), Rick Moranis (uncredited) and Robert Picardo (voice) (uncredited)
Director: Mick Jackson
Producers: Daniel Melnick, Mario Kassar, Michael Rachmil and Steve Martin
Screenplay: Steve Martin
Composer: Peter Rodgers Melnick
Cinematography: Andrew Dunn, B.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: Swedish, Danish, Finnish and Norwegian
Running Time: 91 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Soul Media / STUDIOCANAL / TriStar Pictures / CAROLOCO
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘L.A. STORY’ [1991] was written by its star, Steve Martin and is an up-to-the-minute parody of the city’s inhumanly relaxed, into-the-future life-styles. But with these Californian people continue to flex their sense of well-being like a new set of muscles, nobody sets foot on the sidewalk, where we see shallow nature of the culture and people of Los Angeles, with their chic clothes, their chic body, their chic connections still rules. The difference is that Steve Martin ridicules Los Angeles from the inside, where Steve Martin loves this high-tech urban pleasure dome. Striving to achieve fulfilment, he finds a helping hand from the last person he expected: the city of Los Angeles itself.
‘L.A. STORY’ primary objective is to make as much fun of Los Angeles as possible. And all the usual topics that are worth poking are here: the predictable and rarely changing weather, the obsession with driving for even the shortest trips, gun violence on the highways, California cuisine, plastic surgery, and inane topics of conversation, earthquakes, and the trendy restaurants that are impossible for normal people to get into. Steve Martin packs his story with deserved digs at his city, and generates a steady stream of laughs.
Steve Martin plays Harris K. Telemacher, a “wacky” weekend television weatherman who has nothing to forecast but how sunny it’s going to be tomorrow. The film is about how he loses his ludicrous, show-biz-fringe job, comes under the influence of a mystical flashing highway sign (yes you heard me right), and realises that the only thing that can save him from being sucked under by the city’s relentless superficiality is Sara McDowel [Victoria Tennant], a visiting journalist from the London Times. Harris K. Telemacher, like the standard Woody Allen hero, is a self-doubting romantic prone to anxious spasms of lust. Betrayed by his girlfriend Trudi [Marilu Henner], he finds himself dating SanDeE* [Sarah Jessica Parker], a smiley, tousle-haired young sex bunny who treats walking around as a form of higher gymnastics and, when it comes to conversation, has passed beyond Valley Girl brainlessness into some brave new realm of Outer Valley vacuous pomposity.
‘L.A. STORY’ would like to be a comedy of relationships, but the characters are too shallow for that. The film is basically a series of airy satirical riffs where we find Steve Martin is laid-back, helium-fuelled version of an early Woody Allen comedy film. And though a few of the gags are very funny and I am still meditating on the line, “I could never be a woman because I’d just stay home and play with my breasts all day,” and most of the humour doesn’t quite explode to total hilarity. Instead we get the full-throttle clash of banality and absurdity. Instead, ‘L.A. STORY’ has a fizzy-bubbly charm all on its own.
Steve Martin understands that the infamous “mellowness” of Los Angeles is really a fusion of fanatic hedonism and fanatic order. As he tells it, the city is a playpen ruled by control freaks, a world where any pleasure worth having is also worth regulating. In one scene, Harris K. Telemacher tries to get a reservation at the eatery of the moment with Mr. Perdue [Patrick Stewart], the Maitre D' at the L'Idiot restaurant, only to discover that he has to produce his entire financial statement. Once there, he is offered his choice of dental floss, regular or diet. At the same time, Steve Martin shows you that the city’s residents have a genuine rebellious streak, a lyrical zaniness. Even the relatively cautious Harris K. Telemacher gets into the act: His hobby is roller-skating through art museums, which he considers a form of performance art.
Some of the humour is quite silly and surreal, such as the shooting on the freeway, while other jokes are more literate, referencing Fellini and Shakespeare, who surprisingly turns out to be buried in Los Angeles, presumably where he wrote, Hamlet Part 8: The Revenge. While Steve Martin saves the best lines for himself, Sarah Jessica Parker is a scene stealer as a sexy young valley-girl named SanDeE*, which is spelt just like that. With no exaggeration, it's one of the finest performances of her career.
By the way watch out when Steve Martin and Sarah Jessica Parker end up in the Los Angeles “Hollywood Forever Cemetery” where they come upon a hilarious uncredited cameo performance of Rick Moranis as the wisecracking Shakespeare-loving Gravedigger, who tries his best to do a London Cockney accent very badly, exactly like Dick Van Dyke tried to do in the film ‘Mary Poppins,’ despite Rick Moranis endeavour, it is still hilarious to watch.
Although the central love story isn't the strongest aspect of the plot, it does have some nice moments, particularly the night Steve Martin and Sarah Jessica Parker first sleep together, which, accompanied by an Enya song, manages to be both lush and romantic. Also Steve Martin makes an unlikely romantic lead, but there's no doubt of his comic abilities, because he wrote a very funny script and he delivers a nice performance in it. Overall this is probably my favourite of all Steve Martin’s films, as I love all his quirky comedy capers in this film and was definitely made for his very eccentric character in this film.
Steve Martin is fantastic as Harris K. Telemacher and offers a wonderfully funny, genuine performance. His charisma works wonders in this type of film. Victoria Tennant also does a fantastic job as the odd yet sophisticated British journalist Sara. The two work really well together and have believable, palpable chemistry. It probably didn't hurt that they were married during the time this movie was filmed. There is also a solid supporting cast including Sarah Jessica Parker as the ditsy clothing store clerk SanDeE* and Richard E. Grant as Sara's ex-husband Roland Mackey, and Marilu Henner, who plays Harris K Telemacher abrasive girlfriend Trudi, who is having an affair behind his back. Though this is a comedy and it can get pretty wacky and silly at times, but there are some genuinely beautiful, and tender moments about having dreams, finding love, and eventually finding true friendships.
As a sort of homage and finale to this hilarious and shallow look at life in Los Angeles, it is near the end of the film where Steve Martin does some brilliant and wonderful poignant monologues in summing up his life in the sunshine state of California, where says:
“Why is it that we don’t always recognise the moment when love begins, but we always know when it ends?”
“Forget for this moment, the smog, and the cars, and the restaurants, and the skating, remember only this, a kiss may not be the truth, but it is what we wish were true.”
“There are only two things in my life, I will never forget, one is that there is someone for everyone, even if you need a pickaxe, a compass and night goggles to find them, and the other, is tonight, when I learned romance does exist deep in the heart of L.A.”
L.A. STORY MUSIC TRACK LISTING
EPONA (Written by Enya) [Performed by Enya]
EXILE (Written by Enya, Roma Ryan and Nicky Ryan) [Performed by Enya]
ON YOUR SHORE (Written by Enya, Roma Ryan and Nicky Ryan) [Performed by Enya]
I’VE HAD MY MOMENTS (Written by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson) [Performed by Stéphane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt]
LA MER (Music by Charles Trenet) (Lyrics by Charles Trenet) [Performed by Django Reinhardt and The Quintette du Hot Club de France with Stéphane Grappelli]
DO WAH DIDDY, DIDDY (Written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich) [Performed by Manfred Mann]
LA MER (Music by Charles Trenet) (Lyrics by Charles Trenet) [Performed by Charles Trenet]
YOU DRIVE ME TO DISTRACTION (Written by Chaz Sanford and Charles A. Judge) [Performed by Big World]
WILD THING (Written by Chip Taylor) [Performed by Seeds of Love featuring Jimmie Wood]
AIN’T THAT A SHAME (Written by Fats Domino (as Antoine "Fats" Domino) and David Bartholomew) [Performed by Fats Domino]
SMOKE RINGS (Written by Ned Washington and H. Eugene Gifford) [Performed by Stéphane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt]
AMAZING GRACE (Arrangement by Fairbairn) [Performed by The Pipes and Drums and Military Band of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards]
CLOUDS (Written by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson)
Symphony No. 5, 1st Movement (uncredited) [Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven]
* * * * *
Blu-ray Image Quality – TriStar Pictures and STUDIOCANAL presents you this Blu-ray release that gives us a beautiful 1080p image that looks pretty sharp and has been helped by being digitally remastered. The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer doesn't suffer from any major defects; hints of grain here and there are the only noticeable visual distraction and overall, it's a solid, film-like image. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – TriStar Pictures and StudioCanal presents you with one standard 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo audio experience. The film's music score, composed by Peter Rodgers Melnick, is greatly enriched by Enya's contributions. Overall the audio sounds lush and full ambience sounds and especially with the crackling dialogue heard clearly, and free of any distortion, especially for this 2006 Blu-ray release.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras: Sadly none are available.
Finally, ‘L.A. STORY’ is a charming, light-hearted, fancy-free, fantastical, eccentric and fun film that is really enjoyable to experience, especially having and outside view of this part of California and especially for anyone who lived in Los Angeles during the 1990's or lives there now for that matter. It is one of the best films of Steve Martin's career, and he has an excellent supporting cast to back him up in his wacky zaniness comedy film yet, on top of all that it is also very goofy and sweet. ‘L.A. STORY’ constitutes Steve Martin's satirical valentine to his hometown and a pretty funny comedy into the bargain. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
