L.A. Story | Rotten Tomatoes

L.A. Story

PG-13

Now Playing

1 hr. 35 min.

Romance

Comedy

List

91%

44 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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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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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

kevin c

Steve Martin writes and stars in this film which sees him play a wacky TV weatherman who's unsatisfied with his job and relationship until he meets a British journalist played by Victoria Tennant. Los Angeles is a character itself in the way New York was Woody Allen's muse. Quirky, funny and romantic this film, although very early 90's centric is still a great whimsical viewing experience and probably my favourite role of Sarah Jessica Parker.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Mick Jackson

Director

Steve Martin

Harris K. Telemacher

Victoria Tennant

Sara McDowel

Richard E. Grant

Roland Mackey

Marilu Henner

Trudi

Sarah Jessica Parker

SanDeE*

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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

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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
Executive Producer: Mario Kassar, 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
Sound Mix: Surround

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