L.A. Story

Nothing's going right for wacky TV weatherman Harris K Telemacher (Martin): out of a job, madly in love, he pines for dippy English journalist Sara (Tennant). But she's contemplating a reconciliation with her ex-husband (Grant), prompting Telemacher to embark on a hopeless affair with bimbette SanDeE* (Parker, wonderful). Steve Martin's script, a delightfully scatty account of life in the city of angels, exposes romance lurking beyond the snobbish restaurants and routine muggings; while British director Jackson conjures a lush vision that makes Los Angeles appear positively exotic. Rising above mundane reality, Telemacher is further confused during mystical communication with the electronic freeway information sign; and after a tour of the mock period architecture, there's a strange encounter with Rick Moranis's mock-Cockney gravedigger. Ultimately, the transforming powers of love infuse the whole with a sense of wonder.