WWTW Rewind - ‘L.A. Story’ (1991)

Remember when a Steve Martin comedy wasn’t a footrace to the lowest common denominator?

Me neither, until I rewatched “L.A. Story.” The comedy, Martin’s West Coast answer to Woody Allen’s Manhattan romances, packs plenty of the comic’s absurd observations and physical shtick.

But it’s still a mediocre romance trapped in an intermittently hilarious tale.

Martin plays Harris Telemacher, a wacky weatherman stuck with a harpy for a companion (Marilu Henner). One day a signpost along an LA freeway starts talking to him directly — OK, it’s not talking, its posting signs meant exclusively for him. Those messages, the film’s potent stab at magic realism, steer him toward two new romances.

First up is SanDeE* (a radiant Sarah Jessica Parker), a constantly spinning tart who represents any red-blooded male’s fantasy. She’s sexy, willing and doesn’t wanna hear a word about monogamy.

And then there’s Sara (Victoria Tennant, who was Martin’s real-life wife for a spell). She’s already in a quasi-relationship and intends to return to her native England as soon as her current work assignment ends. But Harris can’t stop thinking about her all the same.

“L.A. Story” lampoons the City of Angels without seeming mean-spirited. No one walks more than a few feet - anywhere. Dining etiquette demands ordering something, anything decaf, and citizens are so used to earthquakes that they barely blink when the next one rumbles in.

But Martin, who wrote the screenplay, isn’t confident enough in his affection for his turf. He forces some truly awful gags into the film, moments which betray both the comic momentum and the film’s love story. And Harris and Sara’s courtship is so flimsy it can’t stand up to much abuse.

“L.A. Story” delivers a few big laughs, and one of Martin’s better screen performances. But it’s mostly makes us appreciate Allen’s New York romances all the more.

(Photo: Steven Martin wrote and starred in “L.A. Story,” his version of a Woody Allen romance)