Before watching the movie:
I just found out this movie existed. I know it’s a musical, but is it a jukebox musical (all preexisting songs), or is it new numbers and the somewhat-related song they got so they’d have a recognizable title? It’ll be interesting to find out.
I strongly suspect that the “Dance TV” alluded to in the summary is a stand-in for MTV.
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Five years ago, on December 4, 2009, Yesterday’s Movies officially began. To celebrate half a decade of movie reviews, I’m rewatching some of the highlights and giving them second-look reviews. I’m kicking it off with a look back at the best reviewing experience I had, L.A. Story.
As I recall, I’d heard the film spoken of glowingly, but never expected it to be much more than one more copy-paste romantic comedy. I didn’t expect the amount of fun, warmth, and satire, and I certainly didn’t expect the element of fantasy. At this point the main thing I remember about the plot is that Steve Martin falls in love with a woman he probably shouldn’t. Also there’s a cameo with Patrick Stewart.
I’m concerned that it won’t be as good as I remember, simply because so much of my impression was born from the gulf between what I expected and what I actually saw.
Before watching the movie:
I’ve always expected this film to be modern camp. A film with modern sensibilities and humor that’s unashamed to be cut from the same cloth as old-fashioned B-movies. That’s the story sold by the advertising anyway, which isn’t always the most trustworthy.
This is definitely offbeat, but it doesn’t seem like Tim Burton’s style of offbeat. For one thing, it appears to have a distinct lack of Johnny Depp. This must have been one of his last films before he started making the same movie every time.
Before Watching the Movie:
While I was disappointed by the selection I found this week, I’m excited to write about this movie. More excited to write than to watch. Supposedly, this is a “great comedy,” the seminal film in Steve Martin’s career. Reading the box though, it looks like the sappiest kind of romantic comedy. I’m expecting boredom, diabetes, and scenic Los Angeles vistas, and to like it better than I expect.
