It’s
always tough to pick one thing and say 'Yeah, that’s my
favorite'. Your response to works of art, more than anything
apart from people, changes over time. You have to be careful not to
select something merely because it struck a chord a long time ago,
when you were a different person.
The
movie I’m picking, however, suggested itself straight away, and
partly because of longevity in my affections. I first saw it over
twenty years ago; I most recently watched it just last week with my
wife, who also holds it dear. It’s L.A. STORY, a funny, sweet and
very silly movie about Los Angeles, and love. Yes, it’s kind of
daft and is now becoming something of a period piece (both LA and
people’s clothes look resolutely early 1990s), but that’s part of
what I love about it. That’s the period when I was first visiting
the city, and the movie captures the era perfectly, the bright sun,
dappled patios, the sense of possibility and the chance of quietly
momentous change.
The
story? Well, it’s about a whacky TV weather guy (Steve Martin) who
falls out of love (Marilu Henner), dallies with someone young and new
(a fantastic early performance from Sarah Jessica Parker) and then,
with the aid of a sentient freeway billboard, naturally, finds
something far deeper and more magical, in the shape of a
Englishwoman (Victoria Tennant) in town to visit her ex-husband
(Richard E. Grant). There are moments in this picture that still make
the hair on the back of my neck rise, moments that make me think
'Yes: when love comes to town, that’s what it’s like. It’s
exactly that disconcerting, and humbling, and scary, and it arrives
from outside, and you stand in awe.'
L.A.
STORY is wistful and funny and romantic (not something I generally
look for in my entertainment), and has stood the test of time for me
in all departments. Not to mention that, in the shape of 'He can
have the chicken' and 'Sorry, it’s my damned testicles'
it’s produced two catchphrases that my wife and I are still using
after two decades... to the utter bemusement of others.
Michael Marshall Smith
Michael Marshall Smith is a novelist, short story writer and screenwriter who also writes under the name Michael Marshall. His works include Only Forward, The Servants, The Straw Men and Killer Move. You can visit Michael's website here, and follow him on Twitter here.
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