''L.A. Without a Map'' (also known as ''Los Angeles Without a Map'' and ''I Love L.A''.) is a 1998 romantic

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film directed by

Mika Kaurismäki Mika Juhani Kaurismäki (; born 21 September 1955) is a Finnish film director. Early life and education Mika Kaurismäki was born in Orimattila. He is the elder brother of Aki Kaurismäki. After high school, Kaurismäki worked as a painter of ...

, from a screenplay he co-wrote with

Richard Rayner Richard Rayner (born 15 December 1955) is a British author who now lives in Los Angeles. Early life He was born on 15 December 1955 in the northern city of Bradford. Rayner attended schools in Yorkshire and Rydal School in Wales before studying ...

, based on Rayner's 1988 semi-autobiographical novel ''Los Angeles Without a Map''. The film stars

David Tennant David John Tennant (; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying the Tenth Doctor, tenth and Fourteenth Doctor, fourteenth incarnations of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Docto ...

Vinessa Shaw Vinessa Elizabeth Shaw (born July 19, 1976) is an American film actress and model. She began her career as a child actress, making her feature film debut in the slasher film ''Home Sweet Home (1981 film), Home Sweet Home'' (1981). She had her b ...

Julie Delpy Julie Delpy (; born 21 December 1969) is a French and American actress, screenwriter, and film director. She studied filmmaking at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and has directed, written, and acted in more than 30 films, including '' Europa Eur ...

and

Vincent Gallo Vincent Gallo (born April 11, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and musician. He has won several accolades, including a Volpi Cup for Best Actor, and has been nominated for the Palme d'Or, the Golden Lion, and the Bronze Horse. Gallo was ...

, with Cameron Bancroft and

Joe Dallesandro Joseph Angelo D'Allesandro III (born December 31, 1948) is an American actor and Warhol superstar. He was a sex symbol of gay subculture in the 1960s and 1970s, and of several American underground films before going mainstream. Dallesandro star ...

. It is an international co-production between France, the United Kingdom, Finland and Luxembourg.

Plot

While visiting the Northern English

city of Bradford Bradford (), also known as the City of Bradford, is a metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Bradford, but covers a larger area which includes the towns and villages of Keighley, Shipley, Wes ...

, Barbara, an aspiring Hollywood actress has a fling with the town undertaker Richard. Barbara returns home and brags about the handsome writer she met while away. Unable to forget about her, Richard promptly leaves Bradford and goes to Hollywood without announcing it to his fiancé. Barbara is shocked and embarrassed to see Richard in Los Angeles. With the help of a man called Moss, Richard finds an apartment and a job while he waits for Barbara to break up with her jealous boyfriend Patterson. Barbara finally calls; she and Richard go to the beach and she tells Richard that, although she likes him, it's safer for her future career if she stays with Patterson. In response, he tells her that he'd have gone to the North Pole for her. Richard takes Barbara to a club, where Moss and his band (

Leningrad Cowboys The Leningrad Cowboys were a Finnish rock band who perform rock and roll covers of other songs. They had exaggerated pompadour hairstyles and wore long, pointy shoes. They often worked with the Russian military band the Alexandrov Ensemble. ...

) are playing. Richard introduces Moss to Barbara's waitress friend Julie and the two get along famously. Meanwhile, Barbara sees Patterson getting too friendly with the Head Waitress at the restaurant and leaves him. Richard, Barbara, Moss and Julie spend the night on the road, before Moss and Julie leave to spend time together in a hotel. Barbara agrees to marry him and the pair have a wedding in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. Barbara arranges a meeting for Richard with Takowsky, a well-known

screenwriting Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession. Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, dev ...

agent Agent may refer to: Espionage, investigation, and law *, spies or intelligence officers * Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another ** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuran ...

. Richard hands over his screenplay, ''Uzi Suicide'', and returns home to work on more script ideas. Patterson casts Barbara in his next film on the condition that he have sex with her. She agrees and separates from Richard. Richard visits Barbara's restaurant, where her coworker Julie tells him that Barbara doesn't wish to see him anymore. He overhears that Barbara will be waiting tables at a party later and is advised by the restaurant's owner that if he can't win Barbara back, then he should kill her. Instead, Richard acquires a drug to knock her unconscious in case he cannot convince her to return to his side. Moss accompanies him to the party and finds Barbara. After an argument, Richard whips out the drug, but Barbara hits him in the face knocking him to the ground. Richard spends the night in prison and is released with the help of Takowsky. He returns to Bradford, where his funeral business has been kept afloat by a colleague. Barbara brings back ''Uzi Suicide'', with the news that Takowsky has agreed to take Richard on as a client. She presents Richard with his first pay check and they decide to patch up their relationship, starting afresh in Bradford.

Cast

Production

Locations in the film include Chapel Street in

Little Germany, Bradford Little Germany is an area of particular historical and architectural interest in central Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The architecture is predominantly neoclassical in style with an Italian influence. Many individual buildings are Listed ...

;

Undercliffe Cemetery Undercliffe Cemetery is located between Otley Road and Undercliffe Lane in the Bolton and Undercliffe ward, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The cemetery stands atop a hillside overlooking the city and contains Victorian era, Victorian funerar ...

Forster Square Forster Square was a prominent and famous landmark in central Bradford, until being "redeveloped", i.e. effectively demolished, in the (2006) Broadway development. Its name is remembered in Bradford Forster Square railway station, retail park ...

and the Midland Hotel in Bradford; The Queen's Hotel pub at 195 Lumb Lane, Bradford; The Rex Cinema in

Elland Elland is a market town in Calderdale, in the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is situated south of Halifax, by the River Calder and the Calder and Hebble Navigation. Elland was recorded as ''Elant'' in the Domesday Book of 1086. It ha ...

, West Yorkshire; Dean Clough in

Halifax, West Yorkshire Halifax is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. In the 15th century, the town became an economic hub of the old West Riding of Yorkshire, primarily in woo ...

; the Yamashiro Historic District, EIDC and

Guitar Center Guitar Center, Inc. is an American musical instrument retailer chain headquartered in Westlake Village, California. It operates 304 locations and is the largest company of its kind in the United States. The company oversees several subsidia ...

in Los Angeles; Malibu SpeedZone in

Industry, California The City of Industry is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is almost entirely industrial, containing over 3,000 businesses employing 67,000 people, with only 264 residents as of ...

;

Hollywood Park Casino Hollywood Park Casino is a casino and sports bar in Inglewood, California, adjacent to SoFi Stadium. Originally part of the Hollywood Park Racetrack, the casino moved to a new building in 2016 after the closure and demolition of the racetrack i ...

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

; and The Argyle Hotel on

Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California, United States. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western bord ...

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writing ...

References

External links

*
''L.A. Without a Map''
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:LA Without A Map 1998 films 1998 romantic comedy-drama films 1990s British films 1990s English-language films 1990s French films British romantic comedy-drama films English-language Finnish films English-language French films English-language Luxembourgian films Films based on autobiographical novels Films based on British novels Films directed by Mika Kaurismäki Films set in Bradford Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Bradford Films shot in the Las Vegas Valley Films shot in Los Angeles Films shot in West Yorkshire Finnish comedy-drama films Finnish independent films Finnish romantic comedy films Finnish romantic drama films Foreign films set in the United States French romantic comedy-drama films Luxembourgian comedy-drama films Luxembourgian independent films Luxembourgian romantic comedy films Luxembourgian romantic drama films English-language romantic comedy-drama films 1990s Finnish films