Tropedia

  • All unique and most-recently-edited pages, images and templates from Original Tropes and The True Tropes wikis have been copied to this wiki. The two source wikis have been redirected to this wiki. Please see the FAQ on the merge for more.

READ MORE

Tropedia
Tropedia
Farm-Fresh balanceYMMVTransmit blueRadarWikEd fancyquotesQuotes • (Emoticon happyFunnyHeartHeartwarmingSilk award star gold 3Awesome) • RefridgeratorFridgeGroupCharactersScript editFanfic RecsSkull0Nightmare FuelRsz 1rsz 2rsz 1shout-out iconShout OutMagnifierPlotGota iconoTear JerkerBug-silkHeadscratchersHelpTriviaWMGFilmRoll-smallRecapRainbowHo YayPhoto linkImage LinksNyan-Cat-OriginalMemesHaiku-wide-iconHaikuLaconicLibrary science symbol SourceSetting
LA Story 5594

LA Story is a romantic comedy starring (and written by) Steve Martin. Harris K. Telemacher (Martin) is a weatherman in L.A. whose love life is assisted by a mysterious, magical talking freeway sign. The city of Los Angeles is a star as well, one of the themes of the movie being the often bizarre attributes of the city itself, from the weather to earthquakes to the "fake" citizenry. Marilu Henner, Victoria Tennant and a pre-Sex and the City Sarah Jessica Parker play the love interests of Harris. The movie is peppered with humorous cameo appearances, from Patrick Stewart's scene-stealing maître d'hôtel to Rick Moranis' gravedigger. (And yes, that is Paula Abdul as the rollerskater.)


Tropes:[]

  • All Just a Dream: Heavily implied that the entire story is a fantasy inside the head of Harris, who has a PhD in Arts and Humanities - which explains the Shakespeare references - and which is also why the film is one huge Empathic Environment.
  • Ambiguously Gay: Ariel, who at the very least has a close live in relationship with another woman.
  • Arc Words: "The Weather Will Change Your Life. Twice."
  • Bilingual Bonus. Plenty. "L'Idiot" is "The Idiot". "El Pollo del Mar" is "The Chicken of the Sea".
  • Brass Balls: There's a great scene where Harris (Steve Martin) is walking on the beach with arrogant bastard Roland (Richard E. Grant), and there's this metallic clanging noise. Harris asks what it was and Roland says "It's a nuisance. It's my damn testicles."
  • Casual Danger Dialogue: Sara is alarmed when there's a minor earthquake during dinner, but the locals just pick up their drinks to avoid spilling them and pay it no attention, not even missing a beat in their conversation.
  • Cleaning Up Romantic Loose Ends: Harris is saddled with his girlfriend Trudi, until she admits to having an affair, which cues an immediate break-up and opens the door to pursuing a less problematic romance.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: All of Los Angeles, according to Roland.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Harris. In spades.
  • Dumb Blonde: SAnDeE*
  • Everything's Louder with Bagpipes: The freeway sign plays "Amazing Grace" with electronic bagpipe sounds.
  • Executive Meddling: In-universe, Harris' boss (Woody Harrelson), wants a "more wacky, less egghead" weathercaster. Keep in mind, Harris is already loopier than a roller coaster in his weather reports.
Cquote1

 Boss: "You're doing some sort of intellectual thing".

Harris: "Intellectual? It may seem intellectual to you, because you were educated with with a banana and an inner tube! This is an intellectual-free zone!"

Boss: "More wacky, less egghead."

Cquote2
  • Fake Brit: Rick Moranis puts on a British accent in his role as the gravedigger.
    • Also, in-universe, Trudy accuses Sara of doing this... despite the fact that Sara is British!
Cquote1

  Harris: "Oh right, like that big phony, Winston Churchill."

Cquote2
  • French Cuisine Is Haughty: L.A. Story has a very snooty French restaurant called l'Idiot, where the lead has to show his bank balance and several other references even to get a reservation. Snooty character played to Large Ham perfection by Patrick Stewart.
Cquote1

 "You can't have the duck. Do you think with a financial statement like this you can have the duck?"

Cquote2
Cquote1

  Sign: "Kiss Her, You Fool."

Cquote2
Cquote1

  "You think with a financial statement like this, you can have the duck? !"

Cquote2
  • It Is Pronounced "Tro-PAY": Inverted. Harris and his friends agree to meet at a trendy new restaurant whose name is pronounced "leed-YO", but when the scene shifts there, we see that it's actually spelled "L'Idiot", and that is the correct pronunciation in French.
  • It Tastes Like Feet: When Ariel gives Harris the experimental beverage.
Cquote1

  Harris: "It's exactly like licking a shag carpet."

Cquote2
  • Left On The Cutting Room Floor: John Lithgow was going to be in the film, and some of his scenes appear in some trailers for it, but was eventually cut. He can still be seen as the man in the distance talking to the magical Road Sign before Harrison himself encounters the sign, but all of his dialogue is gone. The cut scenes are available on some dvd versions.
  • Magic Realism: Many elements, but especially the highway sign.
  • My Nayme Is: SAnDeE*
  • Mysterious Middle Initial: Harris K. Telemacher
  • One-Scene Wonder: Several, but Patrick Stewart's Mr. Perdue takes the cake.
Cquote1

  Mr. Perdue: "You think with a financial statement like this you can have the duck?!"

Cquote2
Cquote1

 Harris: I went roller skating once at the Brooklyn Rollerdome. It was awful. I was completely out of control. I went slamming into this 8-foot tall black guy in a green satin jump suit. I said, "I'm sorry, could you help me?" And he looked at me with stoned eyes and said: "Let your mind go and your body will follow."

Cquote2