Film

L.A. Story

Name: L.A. Story
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Released: 1991
Cast: Steve Martin, Victoria Tennant, Richard E. Grant, Marilu Henner, Sarah Jessica Parker

Comedy
Romantic comedy
Light-hearted

A romantic comedy where Steve Martin's Los Angeles weatherman falls for a British journalist with help from a sentient freeway billboard. It's a love letter to 90s LA filtered through whimsy and light absurdism—funny without trying too hard, romantic without sentiment getting in the way. For anyone who loves smart comedy that doesn't take itself seriously.

TMDb rating

3.3

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy gentle, sun-bleached satire where the jokes about city life sit alongside a sweet, slightly daft romance and a sense that anything might happen on the freeway.

Skip it if you want sharp plotting and steady momentum, since this one meanders through its set pieces and leans on whimsy more than tight structure or narrative drive.

What it asks of you: Ninety-five minutes of loose, episodic wandering that rewards a relaxed mood and a willingness to let the oddball details wash over you without much urgency.

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If you liked this

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Beetlejuice1988

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The wildcard

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But Low-budget and deliberately small-scale; if you need production value or conventional structure, it'll feel thin and precious.