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» » It Happened in L.A. (2017)

Short summary

In this classically styled comedy of manners set in Los Angeles, sophisticated thirtysomethings try to determine whether ideal happiness exists in coupledom or if the perfectly suited couple is actually just an urban myth.

Dree Hemingway and James Ransone previously appeared in Sean Baker's 2012 film "Starlet."

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Fenrikasa
    OK, the elephant in the room is that this is a totally amateurish movie. It looks great (wonderful what you can do with even the cheapest digital cameras and editing equipment these days) but the dialog is frequently written stilted and delivered stilted. And I think the subtitle were generated by a (not very well-trained) AI --- they sound vaguely correct, but clearly miss the point, and to make it wore the characters to whom dialog is ascribed are frequently incorrect.

    But against that, our lead actress is indeed lovely, the movie is amusing (though I wouldn't call it very, let alone laugh-out-loud funny), and (my usual movie concern) the characters were not one-dimensional cliches. It wasn't obvious from the moment you met each one who they would behave, and the movie avoided all the tiresome idiocy you see in so many movies where it's felt that various characters have to be converted to some "better way of life". For example our lead character is a judgemental ,slightly selfish, snob at the beginning of the movie, and no different by the end; even so she's accepted back by (and accepts) her nebbish boyfriend (who's had a few non-nebbish experiences along the way, but not been much changed by them). Not only is this, I think, truer to real life, it's also more interesting to watch.

    Likewise, even though some of the movie's characters are in the business, and this is even mildly relevant to some of the plot, we don't have the curse of such movies (the self-congratulation, or mental masturbation, or making excuse for bad behavior) that are common to so many self-referential movies. The characters in the business have jobs that they try to do well, but they're neither obsessed by nor destroyed by these jobs. Well done for more realism!
  • comment
    • Author: Bladecliff
    LA TIMES is a very funny millennial movie about dating and marriage in the city of bright lights by writer/director/lead actor Michelle Morgan. She and her talented ensemble punch up a modern comedy with laugh-out-loud dialogue and situations while satirizing the facetiousness of Hollywood. A number of jokes about the entertainment industry kept the indie film guys in the row behind me at Sundance laughing throughout the movie. Lots of sexual situations and pot smoking so probably not a great movie for religious fundamentalists. Fortunately, none present in the audience to spoil the fun. A social comedy that examines the need for meaningful partnership in a world of fuzzy morality and superficial values. Good fun.
  • Cast overview, first billed only:
    Michelle Morgan Michelle Morgan - Annette
    Jorma Taccone Jorma Taccone - Elliot
    Dree Hemingway Dree Hemingway - Baker
    Kentucker Audley Kentucker Audley - Peter
    Margarita Levieva Margarita Levieva - Ingrid
    Adam Shapiro Adam Shapiro - Jimmy
    Angela Trimbur Angela Trimbur - Simone
    Robert Schwartzman Robert Schwartzman - Ben
    Nora Zehetner Nora Zehetner - Nora
    Tate Donovan Tate Donovan - Tom
    Andre Hyland Andre Hyland - Zee
    James Ransone James Ransone - Heath
    Antonio Cupo Antonio Cupo - Michael
    Allison Lanier Allison Lanier - Megan
    Julie Mintz Julie Mintz - Alice
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