L.A. Story (1991)

Martin plays Harris K. Telemacher, a Los Angeles TV weatherman who's unsatisfied with his superficial lifestyle. He woos and beds some women whom most men would probably be thrilled to have (Marilu Henner, "Sex and the City's" Sarah Jessica Parker), but he is unsatisfied until he meets a British journalist (Martin's then-wife Victoria Tennant) whose very unpretentiousness is enough to knock him off his feet.

This is obviously Steve Martin's attempt to be another Woody Allen--there's the Annie Hall-like quirky romance, the use of jazz great Django Reinhardt on the soundtrack (he also uses Enya, which was my introduction to this beautiful vocalist), and he romanticizes L.A. the way Allen does The Big Apple. Funny thing is, it all works. Even if you're as anti-L.A. as Manhattanite Allen is, it's an L.A. crafted in Steve Martin's mind, anyway--and what an original landscape it is.

It even goes Allen one step better. One scene Allen filmed and then deleted from ANNIE HALL featured the rolling news marquee in Times Square telling him to return to Annie in L.A. I have no idea whether Martin ever heard about this or not, but in L.A. STORY, he gets romantic advice from a highway traffic sign. The concept sounds hopeless (as Allen obviously decided it was), but Telemacher is so disbelieving about the concept that its comedy comes across. After all, everything else offbeat happens in L.A.; why not this?

There are few comedies that meld so perfectly. One is tempted to credit its lush visuals and on-the-button pacing to director Mick Jackson, except that Jackson has done little before or since that is this striking (THE BODYGUARD was a big hit, but I can't say it stands out in my mind). It's obviously Martin's comic vision all the way, and it's pure delight.

Martin's physicality and wit are on grand display here. And though Victoria Tennant, like Jackson, has done little else in her career that's this good, Martin certainly makes us see just what he saw in her. When they finally come together, it feels deserved and not at all forced.

In an era where gastric wheezing and room-temperature mentalities substitute for wit, it's refreshing to see a comedy that actually creates its own special world. For me, L.A. STORY ranks right up there with Preston Sturges's screwball comedies--a one-of-a-kind take on the world's craziness and the love that helps us endure it.

L.A. STORY is rated PG-13 for sexual situations and strong language.

In fact, it is not overstating to say that L.A. STORY rises easily above our expectations -- it surprises us with its specialness and originality. It is so charming, has such truly funny performances by Martin, Tennant, Parker and the rest, and has such a keen eye for identifying the ridiculous elements of life in L.A. that it has already become a classic in many people's minds.

The fact that it is also a study of a man confused about his identity who finds himself when he discovers true love is the icing on this cake. Martin's character is essentially baffled about his own life and surroundings, and is looking for fulfillment with the younger woman played stunningly by a very teenaged-nubile-looking Sarah Jessica Parker. Parker is absolutely fascinating in this movie as the uninhibited girl in tight shorts who steals Martin's heart (and mine) in the first act. A young pretty girl with this much energy, openness, and unabashed sexuality, who can become infatuated with an "older man" like Martin, is bound to make the rest of us men weigh the virtues/drawbacks of such a relationship. Anyway, the relationship is hilarious and also poignant, and one of the many tremendously successful elements of this movie. I can imagine a viewer who would not find this his or her cup of tea, but few comedies are so easy to recommend to the more intelligent portion of the movie-viewing public. Go for the romance, go for the L.A. social commentary, go for the fascinating characters, or go for the interesting discussion you'll be able to have with your date about relationships and true love afterward. This movie has much to like.