La Story
L.A. Story: Rhetorical Analysis
Alec Waugh, a British novelist once said, “you can fall in love at first sight with a place as with a person”. A place can have so much character to not only make a person fall in love at first sight, but to keep that person entranced by love for the place. The city one might picture is Paris the city of love or the islands of Hawaii. However, this city is not the typical city that comes to mind. It is the city with busy streets and beautiful people, Los Angeles. The beaches of Los Angeles can be breathtaking, but it is the personality of Los Angeles that keeps a person around. A story based on a life of a Los Angeles native portrays the city as a land of opportunity.
L.A. Story is a romantic comedy set in the city of Los Angeles which “tells the story of Harris K. Telemacher, an L.A. weatherman who falls in and out of love with the aid of a talking freeway sign”(wiki). The city is portrayed to be as a character itself with the ideas of the two people that created the story. Mick Jackson, the director, started out as a British television and movie director, while his partner Steve Martin, the screenwriter, is an American comedian and writer. With their differing perspective of the city, they are able to create a world for their Los Angeles resident audience and their foreign audience to fall in love with. Jackson and Martin use situational humor to portray exaggerated stereotypes of the film to convince those interested in Los Angeles of the possibilities the city has to offer.
The ridiculous portrayal of the city is exemplified by the driving of Harris Telemacher in the early scenes of the movie. The stereotype of the people of Los Angeles having terrible driving skills is played through Harris. As he leaves for his day to work he skips all of the traffic by going through all of his neighbors’ yards. The part that makes one smile in these unreal scenes is the neighbor’s waving to him as he drives through their yards and
Alec Waugh, a British novelist once said, “you can fall in love at first sight with a place as with a person”. A place can have so much character to not only make a person fall in love at first sight, but to keep that person entranced by love for the place. The city one might picture is Paris the city of love or the islands of Hawaii. However, this city is not the typical city that comes to mind. It is the city with busy streets and beautiful people, Los Angeles. The beaches of Los Angeles can be breathtaking, but it is the personality of Los Angeles that keeps a person around. A story based on a life of a Los Angeles native portrays the city as a land of opportunity.
L.A. Story is a romantic comedy set in the city of Los Angeles which “tells the story of Harris K. Telemacher, an L.A. weatherman who falls in and out of love with the aid of a talking freeway sign”(wiki). The city is portrayed to be as a character itself with the ideas of the two people that created the story. Mick Jackson, the director, started out as a British television and movie director, while his partner Steve Martin, the screenwriter, is an American comedian and writer. With their differing perspective of the city, they are able to create a world for their Los Angeles resident audience and their foreign audience to fall in love with. Jackson and Martin use situational humor to portray exaggerated stereotypes of the film to convince those interested in Los Angeles of the possibilities the city has to offer.
The ridiculous portrayal of the city is exemplified by the driving of Harris Telemacher in the early scenes of the movie. The stereotype of the people of Los Angeles having terrible driving skills is played through Harris. As he leaves for his day to work he skips all of the traffic by going through all of his neighbors’ yards. The part that makes one smile in these unreal scenes is the neighbor’s waving to him as he drives through their yards and
Cited: Camby, Vincent. "L.A. Story Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes." ROTTEN TOMATOES: Movies - New Movie Reviews and Previews! 20 May 2003. Web. 06 Aug. 2010. Campbell, Christopher. "Their Best Role: Sarah Jessica Parker in 'L.A. Story '" Cinematical. 4 June 2010.Web. 06 Aug. 2010. Crerar, Simon. "50 Craziest Celebrity Baby Names - Times Online." The Times | UK News, World News and Opinion. 24 July 2007. Web. 06 Aug. 2010. L.A. Story. Dir. Mick Jackson. Perf. Steve Martin. 1991. DVD. Wikipedia contributors. "L.A. Story." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 19 Jul. 2010. Web. 6 Aug. 2010.