L.A. Without a Map

As a director, Mika Kaurismäki is definitely not as talented as his brother Aki, the drawer of great films like La vie de bohéme and Drfiting Clouds. L.A. Without a Map has nothing in it, and proves with "Condition Red" and "Last Border" that Mika Kaurismäki has lost his touch of directing. With "L.A." M. Kaurismäki tries to make a some sort of a satire of Hollywood, and connects it to a love story of a british undertaker and a lovely waitress from Hollywood. David Tennant and Vinessa Shaw play the main characters with out any kind of charisma. When Tennant's undertaker wants to be a writer and Shaw's waitress wants to be an actress in any cost, their relationship in Hollywood seems to be an impossible thing to work out.

Vincent Gallo and Julie Delpy make a charming couple in the film, but their chracters are very poorly sketched. Johnny Depp and Jerzy Skolimowski make funny cameos.

L.A. Without a Map won't make you laugh when it's supposed to, trust me. But it's not as bad you might expect, it's not a pathetic picture. Kaurismäki has only made a film that will easily erase from memory. And because of that, you can safely watch it. But that's not much.

Simple but appealing. Maybe not that original but fresh and entertaining. Actors look at ease in the script. The story is well balanced and always under control. Not ambitious but pleasant. Rated 7.

Although the box may have JOHNNY DEPP & VINCENT GALLO in big letters, both actors play minor parts. Some very magical Depp cameo moments. Gallo is amazing and funny as hell the whole time he's on film. Any fan of his will definately want to see this. There's also a main love story that tries desperately to be charming but just ends up boring and lame. (I already know L.A. is fake--I just wanna hear more philosophy from Vincent Gallo.) This movie is supposedly hard to find. Maybe you can get a pirated copy.

Richard (David Tennant) is a Scottish undertaker who dreams of being a screenwriter. To his amazement, the woman of his casting dreams, aspiring actress Barbara (Vinessa Shaw) meets him unexpectedly as a tourist in his native land. She is flattered by Richard's immediate attentions and the two spark up a friendship until its time for Barbara to go home. End of story? Not quite. Richard decides to take an extended vacation and travel to Los Angeles in search of his true love. After all, maybe his yearning to make it as a screenwriter will be better realized in Hollywood, too. His initial landing in the city is humorous as he goes to the bad part of town and is the target of scorn by the tough guys. Yet, a man rescues him, takes him to a vacant apartment and gets him a job as a pool boy. Now, Rich must make an entrance at the fancy restaurant where Barb works and see if she missed him. It's a surprise and surreal reunion. There are also complications as Barbara has a boyfriend with many connections in the movie business. How can she dump her current beau for Richard, when she is just about to "make it" in Tinseltown? Can she get good advice from Julie (Julie Delpy) , a zany co-worker at the eatery? This sweet film is definitely enhanced by Tennant's winning ways and handsome face. He is a charmer and quite funny. Shaw is beautiful indeed but somewhat of a cold fish. Delpy has her moments while, most importantly, Johnny Depp makes a cameo that is side-splitting. The scenery, costumes, script and direction are all above average. For romcom fans, like me, there is always an endless pursuit to find hidden gems like this movie of 25 years ago.

This movie is worth seeing.......Vincent Gallo is hilarious. If you don't need a lot of action, if dialogue satisfies you then this movie will suit your taste. Bizarre, quirky, if you liked Swingers, Go, Very Bad Things...L.A without a Map, will be a favorite of yours.