L.A. Story Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

L.A. Story Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 9, 2021

L.A. Story seemed to capture a certain cultural zeitgeist when it was released theatrically way back in 1991, at least for Angelinos if for no one else, receiving a lot of critical acclaim and relatively healthy box office, and in my personal home theater history it holds a special place as it was one of the first movies I rented (like, on VHS!) back in the early days of my being a regular habitué of local video emporia like Blockbuster and its kin. Color me a little surprised, then, that in revisiting the film in preparation for writing this review, I couldn't help but shake the feeling that some elements hadn't aged particularly well. A "freeway shooting season" vignette is probably the most viscerally provocative thing in that regard, but something about L.A. Story's penchant for manic behaviors and outright silliness may ultimately strike some viewers as being slightly more grating rather than actually ingratiating. All of this said, if my memories of L.A. Story don't quite match my current assessment, there are some wonderful performances as well as a jaded but still loving look at the craziness of Los Angeles.

Harris K. Telemacher (Steve Martin, who also wrote and co-produced) is a "wacky weatherman" on a local Los Angeles news broadcast, prone to wearing safari helmets and dueling with his magnetized map of the region, and suffering from the withering disparagement of the anchor people on set who don't appreciate the affiliate dictated shenanigans he has to go through every day. Harris is unhappily involved with harridan named Trudi (Marilu Henner), but a chance meeting with visiting British journalist Sara (Victoria Tennant, then Martin's newish wife) changes everything. But not immediately, mind you. Initially, Harris is still trying to make it work with Trudi, and Sara is in "negotiations" with her ex-husband Roland Mackey (Richard E. Grant) to reconcile. Even after Harris finds out Trudi has been cheating on him (for quite some time), he doesn't think there's a chance with Sara, and rather improbably he begins a halting relationship with a spacey clothing store salesgirl named SanDee* (Sarah Jessica Parker). (Don't go looking below for any "note" associated with the asterisk at the end of SanDee*'s name, because in true Los Angeles fashion, that's how she spells it.)

Into this oft told tale of star-crossed lovers a liberal dose of magical realism appears, courtesy of a "talking" (or at least "conversational") freeway traffic warning sign, which begins giving Harris advice on his love life. This kind of odd and maybe just slightly pantheistic event suffuses L.A. Story with a whimsical quality that actually helps to elevate some of the clunkier comedy, which can rely on a certain amount of shtick, per Martin's standard operating procedure. The characters in the film are often very well written and distinctive, but there is a certain disconnect tonally in the film which was one of the things I found most interesting in terms of my reaction to it this time around. At one moment, Harris is stumbling through nearly getting hit by Sara, and at the next he's "remixing" Shakespeare to his own designs, and the result is kind of unsettling after a while, which may in fact reinforce the sensibility that Martin is going for and which is perhaps best exemplified by an early scene which sees an earthquake rumbling through a cafe the various characters have gathered at (and which virtually no one reacts to, of course).

Martin's writing is smart observationally but occasionally a little too scattered as he tries to dole out simultaneously unfolding romantic arcs between the interlinked characters. Mick Jackson's interview included on this disc as a supplement mentions how he attempted to imbue the film with an almost Impressionistic array of colors and images, and the result is visually quite engaging and helps to support the thesis that while Martin may have written the film as a love letter to his then new wife, he may have ultimately been more smitten with the city.

L.A. Story Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

L.A. Story is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. On occasion the inclusion of a StudioCanal logo on a Lionsgate release can augur a newer master, though in this case StudioCanal was one of the original distributors of the film, and I haven't really been able to track down any authoritative information in that regard other than the fact that there have been some previous Blu-ray releases in other territories a few months before this one. One thing arguing against a newer master is a somewhat soft appearance and grain whose resolution can vary from nicely tight and fine to considerably more clumpy and splotchy. The palette is nicely suffused throughout, especially in the brightly lit outdoor moments, where primaries in particular pop extremely well. Some of the darker scenes, including a beachside nighttime sequence that is almost drowning in cobalt blues, can show understandably diminished levels of fine detail in particular, and even a hint or two of crush in the dimmest moments.

L.A. Story Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

L.A. Story features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks. The film benefits from a whimsical soundtrack that includes a bubbly score by Peter Melnick, son of producer Daniel Melnick, but also grandson of some guy named Richard Rodgers or something like that. There are a number of source cues as well, including several tunes by Enya, whose presence actually figures into the plot. The score as well as a variety of ambient environmental effects help to open up the surround track considerably, and there's even at least the hint of additional low end on the 5.1 track in moments like the brief outburst of earthquake activity. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

L.A. Story Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• 02BINLA: Mick Jackson's L.A. Stories (HD; 23:58) is a newly done interview with Mick Jackson, who is quite funny in recounting his early career and how he came to direct this film. He also relates the funny anecdote that he knew nothing about Los Angeles before Steve Martin introduced the city to him, but that after having screened the film, Kevin Costner and Lawrence Kasdan called Jackson and offered him The Bodyguard based on what they felt was Jackson's "innate" understanding of Los Angeles culture.


• The Story of L.A. Story (HD; 12:34) is an archival featurette with some candid footage and interviews.


• The L.A. of L.A. Story (HD; 15:33) is another archival piece with Lawrence Miller, production designer, touring some of the film's locations.


• Deleted Scenes and Outtakes (HD; 20:51) are sourced from some intermittently pretty ragged sources.


• 1991 E.P.K. (HD; 5:40)


• Trailers

  Teaser Trailer (HD; 1:48)

  
  

  Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:18)

• TV Spots (HD; 4:14)

Additionally, a digital copy is included, and packaging features a slipcover.

L.A. Story Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Perhaps because I was flat out expecting to love this film again after not having seen it in quite a few years, I was perhaps just a little disappointed that it simply didn't resonate as consistently with me as I had remembered it doing back in the day. That said, it's still an often charming, quirky film that showcases its able cast (which includes a glut of off the wall cameos) and provides an only marginally jaundiced view of La La Land. Technical merits are generally solid, and with maybe just a latter day caveat or two, L.A. Story comes Recommended.