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L.A. Story

PG-13 Released Feb 8, 1991 1h 35m Romance Comedy List
91% Tomatometer 44 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Harris K. Telemacher (Steve Martin) has the easiest job in the world: he's a TV weatherman in Los Angeles, where the weather is so predictable he tapes his forecasts days in advance. Bored with his job, his life and his relationship with longtime girlfriend Trudi (Marilu Henner), Harris begins to receive secret messages from an electronic freeway sign near his home, which lead him to pursue romance with a British journalist (Victoria Tennant) and a vapid young model (Sarah Jessica Parker).
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L.A. Story

L.A. Story

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Critics Consensus

A romantic comedy that doubles as a love letter to the titular city, L.A. Story is Steve Martin at his silly, sweetly soulful best.

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Critics Reviews

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Harper Barnes St. Louis Post-Dispatch This is a wonderful movie. Apr 20, 2021 Full Review Hank Gallo New York Daily News Granted, there are some memorable, big laughs here but the movie that surrounds them is largely forgettable. Rated: 2/4 Apr 20, 2021 Full Review Jay Boyar Orlando Sentinel If L.A. Story isn't thematically consistent enough to qualify as a classic, it's still consistently entertaining. Apr 20, 2021 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) So much accumulated venom drowns the film. [Full review in Spanish] Aug 4, 2023 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid As one of Martin's original screenplays, it's a clear representation of his loves and his particular comic genius. Rated: 3/4 Nov 13, 2021 Full Review Michael Sragow San Francisco Examiner A romantic Hellzapoppin' in a cushy milieu, this movie rivals prime Preston Sturges: "L.A. Story" is Martin's "Palm Beach Story." Apr 20, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Munkhchimeg T Highly recommended who loves rom-com Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/20/24 Full Review Steve D I just didn't see the humor in it. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Taylor L Maybe it's because I have never been to L.A., but I just don't connect with L.A. Story. It's a strange blend of an ode to and satire of a city, slapstick comedy, and fantasy romance. Los Angeles is full of superficiality and smugness, degrading but full of possibilities, but all of the criticisms are counteracted when you realize that the film is basically Steve Martin (already a very successful comedian and actor) making a movie in L.A. with his many famous friends in cameo roles, barely poking fun at themselves. As a romantic comedy Martin (as both writer and lead actor) does some great individual gags that feel on par with the ZAZ-style absurdism that was in vogue at the time, but if you're not familiar with L.A. it's almost as if you're only told half of the story. However, the improvisational tone and some of the jokes still make the film worth a watch even if the relationship side of this rom-com mostly fizzles out. (2.5/5) Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review david f This is a great romantic comedy about Los Angeles. The setting is treated as slightly absurd with characters rollerskating through art museums and giving brunch orders like: "I'll have a half double decaffeinated half-caf, with a twist of lemon." But the wit spans the divide from goofy to sophisticated, with a great hat-tip to Fellini in the opening scene of a giant hot dog being helicoptered over a rooftop pool of bathing beauties à la La Dolce Vita. I especially loved the parody of pretentious restaurants in the form of L'Idiot, a parody which is surprisingly still very accurate in its takedown of fine dining. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review paul s I had hoped this would be better. I wasn't particularly impressed with any of the story, the acting, or the humor. I literally barely chuckled twice. Sarah Jessica Parker looked hot despite being hugely annoying. Marilu Henner was believably mean. The manner in which people became acquainted in the film felt very unrealistic. I don't expect to watch this again and I'm not sure it was worth the 5 bucks I spent on iTunes to watch it. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review john m It doesn't necessarily work as a romance but there's enough hilarious stuff in here to make it fun and rewatchable. I think the mix of absurd parody and earnestness is a bit off balance. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Harris K. Telemacher (Steve Martin) has the easiest job in the world: he's a TV weatherman in Los Angeles, where the weather is so predictable he tapes his forecasts days in advance. Bored with his job, his life and his relationship with longtime girlfriend Trudi (Marilu Henner), Harris begins to receive secret messages from an electronic freeway sign near his home, which lead him to pursue romance with a British journalist (Victoria Tennant) and a vapid young model (Sarah Jessica Parker).
Director
Mick Jackson
Producer
Daniel Melnick, Michael I. Rachmil
Screenwriter
Steve Martin
Distributor
TriStar Pictures
Production Co
TriStar Pictures, Carolco Pictures Inc.
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Romance, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 8, 1991, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 3, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$25.8M
Runtime
1h 35m
Sound Mix
Surround
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