L.A. Story: Un-Lost on DVD

Friday, 13 October 2006

Perhaps you recently saw the Mark Twain Award for American Humor bestowed upon Steve Martin, and after watching Father of the Bride 2, Cheaper by the Dozen (1 & 2) and The Pink Panther you wonder why he was given any type of award, much less one for humor. By. D. W. O’Dell L.A. Story (1991) Director: Mick Jackson Starring: Steve Martin, Victoria Tennant, Sarah Jessica Parker  Perhaps you recently saw the Mark Twain Award for American Humor bestowed upon Steve Martin, and after watching Father of the Bride 2, Cheaper by the Dozen (1 & 2) and The Pink Panther you wonder why he was given any type of award, much less one for humor. If you want to see the genius of Steve Martin in full bloom, you need to rent his masterpiece. I’m not talking about The Jerk; I mean the brilliant L.A. Story. Martin allegedly worked on the script for years, and it shows in the breadth and depth of the humor. The film runs the gamut from Shakespearean references, boob jokes, tuba jokes, enema jokes, testicle jokes, and a critical reference to Manfred Mann. While the film mercilessly mocks (and admires) Los Angeles and 1990’s Los Angelino culture, at its core is one of the sweetest love stories committed to film. The bittersweet part about that last thing is that the film stars Steve Martin and his then-partner, Victoria Tennant, whose love in real life proved to be less enduring than their cinematic counterparts. When you watch a film featuring a real romantic couple who later separated (Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum in Earth Girls Are Easy, for example) it is almost impossible to keep reality from intruding on the movie experience. But since Martin and Tennant were never ubiquitous tabloid fodder, it barely registers in this case. In L.A. Story, Martin plays Harris Telemacher (an allusion to The Odyssey’s Telemachus?), an L.A. celebrity thanks to his shtick as a wacky weatherman at a local TV station. At the beginning of the film Harris explains that he was really unhappy, but he didn’t know it because he was so happy all the time. One day on his way home after shopping with his acquisitive girlfriend (Marilu Henner) his car mysteriously breaks down in front of an electronic sign that provides drivers with traffic updates; the sign tells Harris that his life is about to change. It does when he meets Sara, a British journalist in town to do an in-depth look at Los Angeles culture (“depth” and “culture” are hardly what come to mind when thinking of L.A.). They tentatively begin a relationship, but problems develop because of her ex (the always amusing Richard E. Grant), an acquaintance of Harris‘s, and Harris’s relationship with SanDeE* (Sarah Jessica Parker in what is essentially her film debut) a young, aspiring spokes model (she even takes classes on how to point at things). The film is filled with Martin’s typically absurdist humor. One of Harris’ hobbies is to roller skate through art galleries while being filmed by a friend. Harris pre-records his weekend weather forecasts because the weather in LA is so . . . predictable (this does not turn out well). Harris and Sara meet a funny gravedigger (did I mention the Shakespearean references? Harris explains that while living in L.A., Shakespeare wrote Hamlet Part 8: The Revenge). The opening sequence is a lovely homage to Fellini’s opening sequence in 8 ½, fittingly altered for Los Angeles. The film also has sweetly romantic touches. Right after they consummate their relationship, Harris and Sara are walking along the street and are transformed into children, strolling through an ethereally beautiful garden to the music of Enya on the soundtrack; it is a breathtaking sequence (the film consistently uses the background music to enhance the humor). Director Mick Jackson incorporates time lapse footage, slow motion, and other flourishes though out the film to visually match Martin’s absurdist language. The film features a cornucopia of major and minor stars in cameos. Woody Harrelson appears unbilled as Harris’ boss; Patrick Stewart plays the snooty maitre’d at a REALLY exclusive French restaurant called L‘Idiot (pronounced Lid-eeyo)(Chevy Chase is seen for about three seconds as a patron trying to get in); Iman, Kevin Pollack, and Larry Miller all pop up in a lunch sequence, and the amusing gravedigger is played by Rick Moranis with a Cockney accent. Why wasn’t L.A. Story a bigger hit (it grossed $28 million, not bad but not a blockbuster)? I suspect that people across the country rejected the concept of a romantic comedy set in L.A., much less one that basically incorporates the city as a character. The film was way too cerebral for the National Lampoon crowd, but too silly for all those Oscar Wilde fans out there. It is Martin’s best work as an actor, except perhaps for All of Me. Tennant is a tad bland as the love interest, but unlike some off-screen couples she and Martin do have chemistry on-screen. And I think Sarah Jessica Parker deserved an Oscar nomination, making SanDeE* (yes, that’s her name) both innocent and worldly, while infusing the film with an undeniable jolt of pure energy. There have been several really good romantic comedies in the past few years, and L.A. Story deserves to be on the short list of the best. I pay it the ultimate compliment when I say it is the only romantic comedy I’ve seen that even comes close to approaching the quality of Annie Hall.

 

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