Nobody Walks in L.A.

Wow! This was a sweet story and a beautiful homage to Los Angeles. I loved seeing the city unfolding-I am a native and really hadn't seen the city in all its glory For a long time. The characters were not only charming, they were believable as well. Watching them was at times sad, and then sweet, without being sappy. Adam Shapiro was fantastic and warm. The writing felt organic, and true to the age group. I was pleased to see a story driven film. I have grown weary of the Marvel franchise and am also over all the cgi super heroes. Finally a film about two people who have something to say, and spend the day Doing just that. I would love to spend the day that way

The first hour is a bit slow and then the fun begins and makes the whole thing worth it. Whoever Shapiro had in mind when he wrote the Becca character is someone he loves. And Kim Shaw is perfect as this person. Miles is annoying at first but then we see the layers come off and their friendship revealed. We root for them as friends and there's a flash of maybe more but you won't be left feeling dissatisfied. It reminded me of roaming days and nights living in LA in the 90s. The people you meet, the instant friendships and generosity you encounter during a day of walking. Nobody Walks in LA but they should. The last 30 mins of this movie was so much fun and wraps up nicely. Becca is the best kind of female friend that none of us guys deserve and I love the way she was written. Both of them evolve and lean on each other and definitely trust each other. Their last big scene together needed to be way tighter. The whole movie we were in their faces so pulling away for that whole shot didn't work at all but I understand wanting to see the lights and columns. But I still wanted to see their faces and body language for the "gift" she gives him. Watch this movie.

That's the point at which I tuned out of "Nobody Walks in L.A."

Do I believe the story?

Sure. Why not?

Do I care about the story?

Nope.

Do I believe the characters?

Yeah, sure. What's not to believe?

Do I care about the characters?

I couldn't care any less about them.

I will address the question Miles asks about 20 minutes into the movie. Good art, music, literature -- sure, it's all subjective. For me, I've got to believe it, and I've got to care. An indie film made by people I've never heard of before, in the Rom- Com-Dram genre -- few votes on IMDb, average is 6.8 -- that piques my interest. Might be interesting. I like Rom-Coms, anyway.

Now that I've decided to watch your movie, you've got to reach inside and grab my heart and soul. A pretty blonde is fun to look at, but she's not going to keep my interest for an hour and a half. My heart and soul begged for freedom from the contrived walk in LA, so I liberated them by opting out when I heard the question quoted in my summary.

I don't know about how others decide what's good art & what's bad art, but that's how I decide. I use the 4 questions above, which all must be answered "yes", and my heart and soul command me to pay attention. Any piece of art that does all of that, is what I consider "good art".

"Bad art", on the other hand, for me, might be a 93 minute movie of which I can't even bear to watch 21 minutes, because I just don't care.

Oh, yeah, I get it, nobody walks in L. A. just to prevent meeting with these ones and listening even by accident their inane chatting trying to pass as witty snark.

This could work better as an ad to promote tourism in L. A., it could last 15 minutes top without the two characters being kinda rude in what seems like their first time walking around that city and riding in public transport like those activities are some kind of exotic attraction or whatever.

The cinematography is passable but shaky at times.

This is not that good as its high ratings suggest. There are better options everywhere to spend one hour and a half than this tale of not-so-likeable characters very prone to mock everyone but themselves like they're cooler than anyone else.

Story was kinda sweet, nice to see the different neighborhoods (the upscale and the downtrodden), the now gentrifying ethnic markets, pretty architectural landmarks and the varied beliefs (be it Catholic or ISKCON (the Hare Krishna folks)) and make-up of LA's denizens through this lens. Many shots are nice and lingering, so it feels relaxing instead of a mandatory, hectic tour to cover all the hot-spots. Ending was good and generously open-ended, didn't feel rushed or contrived to me.

As for the negative (at least for my taste), there was way too much unnecessary swearing and more crass dialogs than I cared for, and some insensitive and distasteful rowdiness. Probably would have liked it better if that hadn't been the case.