L.A. Story
L.A. STORY (12)
D: Mick Jackson
Tristar/Carolco/StudioCanal (Daniel Melnick & Michael
Rachmil)
US 1991
95 mins
Comedy/Romance
W: Steve Martin
DP: Andrew Dunn
Ed: Richard A. Harris
Mus: Peter Melnick
Steve Martin (Harris K. Telemacher), Victoria Tennant (Sara
McDowel), Richard E. Grant (Roland Mackey), Marilu Henner (Trudi), Sarah Jessica Parker (SanDeE)
Steve Martin began to lose his appeal at the beginning of the
1990's, but L.A. Story is still a rather enjoyable fable.
He plays a wacky TV weatherman who, after breaking down on a
freeway, receives instructions from a roadside traffic sign of actions he needs to take in his own life. Following these, he meets and falls in love with an English journalist and also has an
affair with a hip, younger woman who goes by the name of SanDeE (sic).
This light-hearted Capra-esque caper doesn't quite know what
kind of comedy to go along with, traipsing between whimsical fable, slapstick and satire, so the humour isn't quite consistent throughout the whole film. Martin's vivaciousness still makes it
entertaining, although the film's main love affair is with Los Angeles itself.
6/10
