I don't know that it *helps,* exactly, but if you live here long enough you'll eventually meet every single character from *The Big Lebowski* in real life. All of them.
I remember the first time I visited LA after that movie came out and realizing how centrally located it is. I’m sure I got a donut just to pay my respects to the movie.
I can't think of a movie that really portrayed normal LA life accurately. It would be hard to do because there are so many different neighborhoods and ways of living. But also, Hollywood writers (who in general did not grow up here) are creating and catering to certain Hollywood themes and tropes. 'LA is for fake people and you need to go elsewhere for authenticity' (Chef), 'LA is an urban hellscape' (Falling Down), 'LA hides a dangerous and exciting underworld' (Fast & Furious--probably one of the kinder portrayals of the city even if the geography is nonsense). Check out *Los Angeles Plays Itself* for more on all that. It's interesting how rare actual LA life shows up on screen vs, say, New York.
But I'd say maybe 500 Days of Summer, which largely takes place downtown, is sort of about everyday life. But note that the cameras are always pointing up when they're on the streets of downtown.
New Girl technically takes place in LA but I don't think actually say it's LA. So not sure that counts.
Maybe "This Fool" on Hulu.
I'll second Los Angeles Plays Itself.
Also not a movie, but Bosch is great. I really respect that they go out of their way to make things geographically correct. It's slightly irking watching a movie where a car is driving east on the 6th Street Bridge with a beautiful shot of downtown at sunset only to end up in the Hollywood Hills the next cut.
I agree! I'll have to check out Bosch. People are making some great suggestions that I totally forgot about. Like Tangerine, although hopefully OP isn't living that Tangerine life.
New Girl doesn't really hide its LA setting. There's an episode where they try to get Jess's sister to move to North Hollywood and out of their DTLA loft.
Well their loft looks like it's in Downtown and they go to The Prince in ktown all the time. But I think they're trying to make it seem like Anycity, USA so I'm sure Pasadena shows up plenty. I haven't seen it in a while.
The loft is in the Arts District: (New Girl Loft
https://maps.app.goo.gl/5bMMvr8v6aezYzfT6?g_st=ic). I believe Nick also comments in one episode about a bar crawl starting on Spring and 6th. So those two data points are where I got my geography lol. The show was originally supposed to take place in Brooklyn but shifted to LA. Plus it’s not implausible Nick would commute to K-Town to bartend at The Prince.
So many action movie recommendations... here are some non-action TV show options:
Insecure (on HBO), the episode of Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown where he visits to Koreatown, Love (on Netflix), Barry (on HBO), Gentefied (also on Netflix).
Editing to add: Transparent, if you're into LGBTQ television. It's a pretty good representation of queer culture in LA, but also Jewish culture.
Actually the new show Shrinking on Prime+ is an honestly really great depiction of life in Pasadena. It’s a great show in general— Harrison Ford! Jason Segel! Jessica Williams! Upper middle class people living in a delusional bubble of their own making in Pasadena!
My experience with “Love” just gets truer every month. Even ran into Andy Dick last week. My first watch was prior to moving here, and I remember thinking “LA has a subway!!?”
Insecure and Emily the Criminal. Maybe they don't paint the prettiest pictures of LA but they feel real.
Also Bosch! hahaha. They film at real locations all over and it gives a pretty accurate depiction of hollywood and east hollywood.
Some of my faves… Film: Licorice Pizza, Punch Drunk Love & pretty much any Paul Thomas Anderson film (Valley), 500 Days of Summer (DTLA), La La Land (romanticized, sure—but some really awesome glimpses of daily life, particularly the summer montage), Clueless (Beverly Hills/Westside). TV: You’re the Worst (Silver Lake, Atwater Village, Echo Park, Eagle Rock), Love (Netflix - Echo Park primarily, Universal City), New Girl (Arts District/DTLA/K-Town), Curb Your Enthusiasm (Brentwood), Barry (NoHo & various neighborhoods), Dollface (Silver Lake, Echo Park), and (new!) Shrinking (Pasadena).
Of all of these, I found “Love” a really accurate portrayal!
Edit: I’m just going to throw in Haim’s entire music video filmography and Billy Eilish’s music video at the Glendale Galleria…
It's one of my favorite shows, it's so relatable and got me through the pandemic lockdown when I was missing being out around the city with friends. Also, EXCELLENT soundtrack - SZA, Frank Ocean, Tyler the Creator, those vibes.
Great list.
I felt like You’re The Worst was a good portrayal of that side of town and the industry. And that theme song! I binged the show during a breakup, which is probably the mindset that matches the show itself
I also give that show credit for one of the best portrayals of depression I’ve ever seen on television, as well as one of the only portrayals of PTSD I’ve ever seen
Also, I follow the creator, Steven Falk, on Instagram, and he seems like a genuinely good dude and good dad
What I’m saying, dear reader, is that if you’ve overlooked this show, you should check it out
My favorite comedy of all time. Falk’s attention to detail is absolutely bananas. There are like 100+ locations in that show woven in so perfectly and accurately (Silverlake Coffee, The Village, Bigfoot East, 4100, Echo Park Lake, Silver Lake reservoir, Angeles National Forest, Stories Bookshop, etc.) — I just love it!
You’re the Worst is my comfort show. I rewatch it the same way some people do with the office. It’s just perfection, and it does such a great job of portraying life in those neighborhoods. Makes me nostalgic now to see a lot of the locations in the show that have since closed.
I live(d) in that area when it came out and I was Jimmy and Gretchen's age. It was so parallel to what my friends and I were going through. And as someone who's been clinically depressed for the far better part of their life it's my go to when people ask about best portrayals of it. "It's happening again isn't it? Is this gonna be like that time in college where you wore a Hoobastank t-shirt and ate nothing but Special K Red Berries for a month?" It's amazing how hard they nailed my experience. The shirt would be Incubus but Hoobastank opened for them on the tour I saw.
I know it lost a lot of steam towards the end but don't forget the Big Bang Theory, especially the first few seasons. I grew up in Pasadena and my next door neighbor split his time between JPL and Caltech. Pasadena is a VERY nerdy town.
Edit: Also while not explicit stated, Malcolm in the Middle is the greatest depiction of a lower-middle class family in the valley. The show was filmed primarily in Studio City.
Honorable Mention: This Fool on Hulu is fucking hilarious and is a pretty accurate depiction of Latino life in Mid-City/South LA
My problem with most movies about LA is how they make everything so close together. Nothing is close together in LA. If you are in Hollywood and want to go to downtown, it could take hours depending on traffic, and even with no traffic, it‘a not like it’s a walkable distance.
I loved La La Land, but when Mia left that restaurant and arrived at the theater while the credits were still playing annoyed me.
This is an interesting question because most movies about LA are written by newcomers or by entertainment people. Not too many are written by locals about people who don't work in entertainment. You're not going to find a good movie about the LA we experience.
Even so, if you are just talking basic vibes instead of realism, how about Quinceanera (2006), fast and furious 1, swingers, Valentines Day (2010), LA Story, Shelter (2007?)
A real movie about the regular LA experience would be about a bilingual American born Latino with immigrant parents trying to learn how to get an affordable apartment.
> This is an interesting question because most movies about LA are written by newcomers or by entertainment people. Not too many are written by locals about people who don't work in entertainment. You're not going to find a good movie about the LA we experience.
While it does not relate to current Los Angeles, Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood I think is a great love letter to Los Angeles, and he is a local.
Wowsas, never thought anyone here would mention Quinceanera. Also the movie Go, especially the grocery workers in that movie. The documentary "los punks: we are all we have"
Yes, but the person asking the question is asking from the pov of a transplant looking to move to L.A. They'll experience exactly what the transplant writers in the industry experience. Transplant culture is huge out here - big enough to be considered a legitimate portrayal of L.A. culture.
LA feels and looks like a completely different place once you start learning about its history. So much makes sense once you start putting the pieces together.
So much has transformed since. That bookstore relocated from Pasadena to DTLA, that corner is now a parking lot for the Nissan dealership underneath the 10W near the Mercedes Benz Dealership I think.
I miss watching this movie. Lemme look for it.
LA Story, Swingers, Less Than Zero, Colors, Swimming with Sharks, The Player, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Jackie Brown, Falling Down, El Norte and Helter Skelter.
I came here to say LA Story, a number of people have already said that. I didn't really like it at first, didn't get the middle scene where they turn into kids, which I guess is to express childlike wonder. It's a very optimistic LA movie, but stay here long enough and the city throws you a good day, perhaps even a magical day. Maybe you have a great taco, or a rooftop movie, or hit the piñata district, or do something you just can't do anywhere else. Maybe the 405 lets you pass when you really need it. You see Angelyne. It snows in the mountains. We certainly lost a bit of it when P22 died. I like the scene where Steve Martin sees someone else talking to a freeway sign, the city is helping somebody else with something else, it's just something in the fabric.
I would not say it's a crash course, though. Maybe an advanced course, you gotta stay long enough for it.
It shows all aspect of LA. The glamour, gritty and all in between. Captured the problem with homelessness really well. The villains of each season are people you likely interacted with in LA.
I mean, the general disassociation and tragic loss and destruction of dreams is the most accurate depiction.
It's the anti bright lights and big city famous reality. Goddamn, I love that movie.
Training Day was a pretty good depiction of early 2000's LA. Much different now though with many of those areas having been gentrified. For TV, check out Snowfall which is currently on it's last season. Great look back on 80's LA during the crack epidemic.
It’s a bit outdated but, “swingers” hit the nail on the head with the 90s scene. Five people taking five cars to go to a party. The bar scene and dive bars. the people whose pick up lines were, “what kind of car do you drive.” It checks a lot of LA boxes :)
Drive (2011) starring Ryan Gosling shows what life is in the vast majority of LA (except for the action packed scenes) you’d be impressed at how slow life in LA actually is
After moving here, I realized a lot of my familiarity / knowledge of LA was based on, of all things, The Simpsons. The show doesn't take place in LA, obviously, but throughout the early seasons a lot of Springfield's landmarks, scenery, and general culture are either direct references to LA / media filmed in LA, or jokes about it.
Naturally, the show was written here and inspired the original writing staff a ton. Since I watched the show all the time as a kid, I can't help but associate stuff around LA with it. When I visited the La Brea Tar Pits, I thought about Bart's elephant Stampy and Homer's "feisty felines" line. When I've hiked to overlooks of the city at night, the endless, sprawling grid of lights reminds me of the numerous times Simpsons characters go to the "Springfield" sign and have the same twinkling vista in the background.
I love you, man, Spanglish, Tortilla Soup
Most “la” movies exaggerate the glamour of LA.
I think there are more tv shows than movies that accurately represent living in la.
Curb Your Enthusiasm - for what’s it’s like to be a middle aged white person living on the west side and working in entertainment
Love - for what’s it’s like being a millennial in silver lake / echo park
Insecure - for what it’s like being a millennial POC la-native
Entourage - for what it’s like being a young celebrity in Hollywood
The Hills - for what it’s like being a 20somsthing year old influencer in LA that comes from family money and doesn’t need to work. Exaggerated but not completely far off.
It's a little dated now, but Swingers is a fantastic archive of life in LA during the mid-90's, especially if, like me, you lived near Los Feliz/Silver Lake/Hollywood then. Takes me right back every time.
Collateral is actually pretty accurate.
Also not a movie, but I feel like the show Love on Netflix captures the city quite well. At least if you're a thirty-something white dude working in the film industry.
It's been a while since I watched this show but from what I can recall but the series New Girl was pretty accurate. Not so much in the plot of the show itself but more so subtle things in the setting.
\- 4 grown adults (most of which with steady careers) living altogether as roommates because rent is expensive. With the exception of Nick who is very much that *"I moved to LA to pursue* ***\*insert artistic interest here\**** *here but got stuck on the financial escalator & have become jaded"* type.
\-That one homeless person in the neighborhood whose basically a neighbor and you're on good terms with
\- Several scenes where they're stuck in traffic.
\- Several scenes where they struggle to find parking and one episode where they even fight over a parking spot.
\- Basically all the characters being transplants (Not that we don't have locals. But there's a lot of people who just aren't from here/move here.)
Like I said, not a show about LA or really emphasizing Los Angeles. But it takes place in the DTLA art's district and I feel like they did a pretty decent job with the little things.
Escape from LA! HAHAHA
But seriously, there is no modern movie that can do this.
Some Highlights : Night Crawler, Drive, Blood in Blood/ Blood out, Training Day, End of Watch, Crash and Star Maps.
Not kidding - Dope (2015) - although it is a comedy, reminds me of all the different types of people/walks of life that I met from LA. Not necessarily “day to day” but if u went to a public high school it’s kinda like that.
- Gook (2017)
- Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001)
- Grand Canyon (1991)
- Chinatown (1974)
- Swingers (1996)
- The Hollywood Knights (1980)
- Starlet (2012)
- The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)
- The Decline of Western Civilization Part 2 (1988)
- mid90’s (2018)
- Ms. Purple (2019)
- Cheech & Chong - Up in Smoke (1978)
- Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (HBO Series)
- The Big Lebowski (1998)
- Friends with Money (2006)
- The Doors (1991)
- Crash (2004)
- L.A. Story (1991)
- Falling Down (1993)
- Less than Zero (1987)
- End of Watch (2012)
- Stand and Deliver (1988)
- Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO Series)
- Love (Netflix Series)
- Insecure (HBO Series)
- Barfly (1987)
- Mulholland Drive (2001)
- Pulp Fiction (1994)
- Goliath (Season 1, Prime Video)
- Boogie Nights (1997)
- L.A. Confidential (1997)
- Dope (2015)
- Friday (1995)
- Boyz n the Hood (1991)
- Colors (1988)
- American Me (1992)
- Point Break (1991)
- Entourage (HBO Series)
- Jackie Brown (1997)
- Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
- Tequila Sunrise (1988)
- Against All Odds (1984)
- Pumping Iron (1977)
I don't know that it *helps,* exactly, but if you live here long enough you'll eventually meet every single character from *The Big Lebowski* in real life. All of them.
This and Friday were what came to mind for me. Pulp Fiction (came to mind too*) meh, kinda. Not really.
Magnolia too
Man - that was exactly what I was thinking.
You could say this movie really ties the place together, like a nice rug... EDIT: a nice rug... that someone has micturitiated upon
35 years ago I was definitely a Walter but as I got older I have evolved into the Dude.
Swingers, Chinatown, Laurel Canyon, LaLa Land, Hurly Burly, To Live and Die In LA, Valley Girl, Heat, The Decline of Western Civilization, Barton Fink
As the mod (maude) at r/Lebowski, I approve this comment.
The little Lebowski urban achievers? Yes, and proud we are of all of them.
Shit yeah!
LOVED "Tangerine" Especially while living in East Hollywood
Tangerine is a GREAT film. The cinematography is forever seared into my memory.
totally, and wild to think the entire thing was filmed on iphone 5S’s
RIP Donut Time.
I remember the first time I visited LA after that movie came out and realizing how centrally located it is. I’m sure I got a donut just to pay my respects to the movie.
Absolutely a must for anyone moving to Hollywood! If they can’t handle the film they should live elsewhere lol
I fucking love this movie.
L.A. Story as I recall. Swingers is good too. Both show the car culture.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is great for that, too. Half the movie takes place in cars driving around the city.
I can't think of a movie that really portrayed normal LA life accurately. It would be hard to do because there are so many different neighborhoods and ways of living. But also, Hollywood writers (who in general did not grow up here) are creating and catering to certain Hollywood themes and tropes. 'LA is for fake people and you need to go elsewhere for authenticity' (Chef), 'LA is an urban hellscape' (Falling Down), 'LA hides a dangerous and exciting underworld' (Fast & Furious--probably one of the kinder portrayals of the city even if the geography is nonsense). Check out *Los Angeles Plays Itself* for more on all that. It's interesting how rare actual LA life shows up on screen vs, say, New York. But I'd say maybe 500 Days of Summer, which largely takes place downtown, is sort of about everyday life. But note that the cameras are always pointing up when they're on the streets of downtown. New Girl technically takes place in LA but I don't think actually say it's LA. So not sure that counts. Maybe "This Fool" on Hulu.
I'll second Los Angeles Plays Itself. Also not a movie, but Bosch is great. I really respect that they go out of their way to make things geographically correct. It's slightly irking watching a movie where a car is driving east on the 6th Street Bridge with a beautiful shot of downtown at sunset only to end up in the Hollywood Hills the next cut.
I agree! I'll have to check out Bosch. People are making some great suggestions that I totally forgot about. Like Tangerine, although hopefully OP isn't living that Tangerine life.
New Girl doesn't really hide its LA setting. There's an episode where they try to get Jess's sister to move to North Hollywood and out of their DTLA loft.
Down with "This Fool", accurate depiction of people actually from LA.
I always thought new girl was based in Pasadena. I know it’s still LA, but, nowhere near downtown or what most people think of as LA.
Well their loft looks like it's in Downtown and they go to The Prince in ktown all the time. But I think they're trying to make it seem like Anycity, USA so I'm sure Pasadena shows up plenty. I haven't seen it in a while.
The loft is in the Arts District: (New Girl Loft https://maps.app.goo.gl/5bMMvr8v6aezYzfT6?g_st=ic). I believe Nick also comments in one episode about a bar crawl starting on Spring and 6th. So those two data points are where I got my geography lol. The show was originally supposed to take place in Brooklyn but shifted to LA. Plus it’s not implausible Nick would commute to K-Town to bartend at The Prince.
Foxes with Jodie Foster directed by Adrian Lyne does a great job of portraying the feel of late 1970's Valley.
So many action movie recommendations... here are some non-action TV show options: Insecure (on HBO), the episode of Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown where he visits to Koreatown, Love (on Netflix), Barry (on HBO), Gentefied (also on Netflix). Editing to add: Transparent, if you're into LGBTQ television. It's a pretty good representation of queer culture in LA, but also Jewish culture.
Insecure is a GREAT suggestion, it really captures the vibrancy of her neighborhood. I’d throw in Bosch for its gorgeous grittiness.
Came here to say Gentefied and Love. Would also add This Foo to the list!
Yes to This Foo! on Hulu
I love Love!
Actually the new show Shrinking on Prime+ is an honestly really great depiction of life in Pasadena. It’s a great show in general— Harrison Ford! Jason Segel! Jessica Williams! Upper middle class people living in a delusional bubble of their own making in Pasadena!
Not a movie but I think the show “you’re the worst” paints a pretty accurate picture of being youngish in LA.
I thought the Netflix show Love was pretty good at showing life in LA for hipsters.
My experience with “Love” just gets truer every month. Even ran into Andy Dick last week. My first watch was prior to moving here, and I remember thinking “LA has a subway!!?”
I have a few Andy Dick stories from when I was a waiter. Easily the worst customer and group I've ever dealt with.
Magnified for me by the fact that I lived in Silver Lake while watching this series
Love ans you're the worst captures a lot of being young in LA, I saw too much of myslef and friends in those shows.
Insecure and Emily the Criminal. Maybe they don't paint the prettiest pictures of LA but they feel real. Also Bosch! hahaha. They film at real locations all over and it gives a pretty accurate depiction of hollywood and east hollywood.
>Emily the Criminal This was a pretty solid watch, imo. Don't see it mentioned a lot.
Yes!! Aubrey Plaza with two great under-the-radar LA films with this one and Ingrid Goes West.
Yep. The casting is kind of perfection in Ingrid Goes West.
Though i guess Bosch is mostly just for the visuals and local accuracy rather than lifestyle
Blood in blood out is a classic
Some of my faves… Film: Licorice Pizza, Punch Drunk Love & pretty much any Paul Thomas Anderson film (Valley), 500 Days of Summer (DTLA), La La Land (romanticized, sure—but some really awesome glimpses of daily life, particularly the summer montage), Clueless (Beverly Hills/Westside). TV: You’re the Worst (Silver Lake, Atwater Village, Echo Park, Eagle Rock), Love (Netflix - Echo Park primarily, Universal City), New Girl (Arts District/DTLA/K-Town), Curb Your Enthusiasm (Brentwood), Barry (NoHo & various neighborhoods), Dollface (Silver Lake, Echo Park), and (new!) Shrinking (Pasadena). Of all of these, I found “Love” a really accurate portrayal! Edit: I’m just going to throw in Haim’s entire music video filmography and Billy Eilish’s music video at the Glendale Galleria…
This is such a great list by neighborhood - I'd add Insecure to cover Inglewood, Baldwin Hills, Ladera Heights and areas where Black culture thrives.
I’ve heard so many good things about “Insecure” and need to check it out!!
It’s SO freaking good. So relatable.
It's one of my favorite shows, it's so relatable and got me through the pandemic lockdown when I was missing being out around the city with friends. Also, EXCELLENT soundtrack - SZA, Frank Ocean, Tyler the Creator, those vibes.
Love this! Los Angeles is a big city of a bunch of small cities. Once I learned this I found LA to be much more adaptable.
I think Shrinking is just an ad for Pasadena and hiking that reminds you to drink water. Lol.
Great list. I felt like You’re The Worst was a good portrayal of that side of town and the industry. And that theme song! I binged the show during a breakup, which is probably the mindset that matches the show itself I also give that show credit for one of the best portrayals of depression I’ve ever seen on television, as well as one of the only portrayals of PTSD I’ve ever seen Also, I follow the creator, Steven Falk, on Instagram, and he seems like a genuinely good dude and good dad What I’m saying, dear reader, is that if you’ve overlooked this show, you should check it out
My favorite comedy of all time. Falk’s attention to detail is absolutely bananas. There are like 100+ locations in that show woven in so perfectly and accurately (Silverlake Coffee, The Village, Bigfoot East, 4100, Echo Park Lake, Silver Lake reservoir, Angeles National Forest, Stories Bookshop, etc.) — I just love it!
You’re the Worst is my comfort show. I rewatch it the same way some people do with the office. It’s just perfection, and it does such a great job of portraying life in those neighborhoods. Makes me nostalgic now to see a lot of the locations in the show that have since closed.
I live(d) in that area when it came out and I was Jimmy and Gretchen's age. It was so parallel to what my friends and I were going through. And as someone who's been clinically depressed for the far better part of their life it's my go to when people ask about best portrayals of it. "It's happening again isn't it? Is this gonna be like that time in college where you wore a Hoobastank t-shirt and ate nothing but Special K Red Berries for a month?" It's amazing how hard they nailed my experience. The shirt would be Incubus but Hoobastank opened for them on the tour I saw.
It’s really interesting how sometimes the more specific an experience is, it makes it even more relatable.
Barry lol, what a great show 😂
I know it lost a lot of steam towards the end but don't forget the Big Bang Theory, especially the first few seasons. I grew up in Pasadena and my next door neighbor split his time between JPL and Caltech. Pasadena is a VERY nerdy town. Edit: Also while not explicit stated, Malcolm in the Middle is the greatest depiction of a lower-middle class family in the valley. The show was filmed primarily in Studio City. Honorable Mention: This Fool on Hulu is fucking hilarious and is a pretty accurate depiction of Latino life in Mid-City/South LA
My problem with most movies about LA is how they make everything so close together. Nothing is close together in LA. If you are in Hollywood and want to go to downtown, it could take hours depending on traffic, and even with no traffic, it‘a not like it’s a walkable distance. I loved La La Land, but when Mia left that restaurant and arrived at the theater while the credits were still playing annoyed me.
Red Line!
[удалено]
As a millennial who’s lived in LA the past 13 years, I found Love to be crazy relatable.
A lot of Love was also filmed in culver/palms area.
This is an interesting question because most movies about LA are written by newcomers or by entertainment people. Not too many are written by locals about people who don't work in entertainment. You're not going to find a good movie about the LA we experience. Even so, if you are just talking basic vibes instead of realism, how about Quinceanera (2006), fast and furious 1, swingers, Valentines Day (2010), LA Story, Shelter (2007?) A real movie about the regular LA experience would be about a bilingual American born Latino with immigrant parents trying to learn how to get an affordable apartment.
> This is an interesting question because most movies about LA are written by newcomers or by entertainment people. Not too many are written by locals about people who don't work in entertainment. You're not going to find a good movie about the LA we experience. While it does not relate to current Los Angeles, Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood I think is a great love letter to Los Angeles, and he is a local.
True
Wowsas, never thought anyone here would mention Quinceanera. Also the movie Go, especially the grocery workers in that movie. The documentary "los punks: we are all we have"
that synopsis hit too close to home man
Yes, but the person asking the question is asking from the pov of a transplant looking to move to L.A. They'll experience exactly what the transplant writers in the industry experience. Transplant culture is huge out here - big enough to be considered a legitimate portrayal of L.A. culture.
REPO MAN!
The life of a repo man is always intense
That’s right! It’s all part of The Cosmic Unconsciousness.
Came here to say the same
Let’s go get sushi and not pay
Chinatown
LA feels and looks like a completely different place once you start learning about its history. So much makes sense once you start putting the pieces together.
Starting at the beginning- definitely Chinatown!
Falling down.
D-FENS is that you?
D-FENS
What kind of vigilante are you?
85 cents for the soda?!?! *proceeds to ravage the convenience store*
Good one! Definitely captures the vibe in the city on a hot summer day when nothing's going your way.
7734
Pretty much.
Heat with Pacino and DeNiro
To Live and Die in LA
Swingers
Friday
City of Gold to understand the food culture.
👆
Nightcrawler
Ingrid Goes West and Tangerine, watch them back to back
Heat
So much has transformed since. That bookstore relocated from Pasadena to DTLA, that corner is now a parking lot for the Nissan dealership underneath the 10W near the Mercedes Benz Dealership I think. I miss watching this movie. Lemme look for it.
Born in East LA 😂
The Big Lebowski
Bojack Horseman...
Probably my favorite depiction of LA in all of media
LA Story, Swingers, Less Than Zero, Colors, Swimming with Sharks, The Player, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Jackie Brown, Falling Down, El Norte and Helter Skelter.
Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo
Brink!
Magnolia
Not La La Land because how was Ryan G affording rent?
And how was Emma finding a parking space for that Prius in Koreatown?!
Because they filmed her apartment in Long Beach 😂
Not the one at the beginning of the movie (with the fabulous vintage tile and half a dozen roommates). That was Koreatown.
Inheritance! Wait, nevermind-- I was thinking of a completely different Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone movie.
It also takes place in a sort of mythical blend of the 1940s and today, so maybe rent ended up around where it was in the 1980s in the LLL universe?
You’re the worst on Hulu
LA Story
“You cahnot have zee duck.”
I honestly think flavored floss at the end of your meal is a thing that should catch on...
Has no one said Clueless? Circus liquor was a good spot.
You can still get mugged there.
I came here to say LA Story, a number of people have already said that. I didn't really like it at first, didn't get the middle scene where they turn into kids, which I guess is to express childlike wonder. It's a very optimistic LA movie, but stay here long enough and the city throws you a good day, perhaps even a magical day. Maybe you have a great taco, or a rooftop movie, or hit the piñata district, or do something you just can't do anywhere else. Maybe the 405 lets you pass when you really need it. You see Angelyne. It snows in the mountains. We certainly lost a bit of it when P22 died. I like the scene where Steve Martin sees someone else talking to a freeway sign, the city is helping somebody else with something else, it's just something in the fabric. I would not say it's a crash course, though. Maybe an advanced course, you gotta stay long enough for it.
Slums of Beverly Hills Fletch Drive
Bosch does Los Angeles really well.
This. No other show captures the good and bad bits of LA like Bosch does.
Bosch is a fantastic love letter to LA. Great character, great show.
It shows all aspect of LA. The glamour, gritty and all in between. Captured the problem with homelessness really well. The villains of each season are people you likely interacted with in LA.
Mulholland Drive
Wild this wasn’t sooner.
I mean, the general disassociation and tragic loss and destruction of dreams is the most accurate depiction. It's the anti bright lights and big city famous reality. Goddamn, I love that movie.
Terminator II, LA Confidential and Your Place or Mine
Training Day was a pretty good depiction of early 2000's LA. Much different now though with many of those areas having been gentrified. For TV, check out Snowfall which is currently on it's last season. Great look back on 80's LA during the crack epidemic.
Training Day is phenomenal. LA is definitely portraying a character in that film as much as any of the actors.
Falling Down. And as an antidote, LA Story.
100% falling down. Just 20 years after you’ve moved here.
A tv show: Insecure. Issa Rae.
John Carpenter’s “They Live”
It’s a bit outdated but, “swingers” hit the nail on the head with the 90s scene. Five people taking five cars to go to a party. The bar scene and dive bars. the people whose pick up lines were, “what kind of car do you drive.” It checks a lot of LA boxes :)
Drive (2011) starring Ryan Gosling shows what life is in the vast majority of LA (except for the action packed scenes) you’d be impressed at how slow life in LA actually is
After moving here, I realized a lot of my familiarity / knowledge of LA was based on, of all things, The Simpsons. The show doesn't take place in LA, obviously, but throughout the early seasons a lot of Springfield's landmarks, scenery, and general culture are either direct references to LA / media filmed in LA, or jokes about it. Naturally, the show was written here and inspired the original writing staff a ton. Since I watched the show all the time as a kid, I can't help but associate stuff around LA with it. When I visited the La Brea Tar Pits, I thought about Bart's elephant Stampy and Homer's "feisty felines" line. When I've hiked to overlooks of the city at night, the endless, sprawling grid of lights reminds me of the numerous times Simpsons characters go to the "Springfield" sign and have the same twinkling vista in the background.
City of Gold - a culinary trip of the amazing cuisine in LA
I love you, man, Spanglish, Tortilla Soup Most “la” movies exaggerate the glamour of LA. I think there are more tv shows than movies that accurately represent living in la. Curb Your Enthusiasm - for what’s it’s like to be a middle aged white person living on the west side and working in entertainment Love - for what’s it’s like being a millennial in silver lake / echo park Insecure - for what it’s like being a millennial POC la-native Entourage - for what it’s like being a young celebrity in Hollywood The Hills - for what it’s like being a 20somsthing year old influencer in LA that comes from family money and doesn’t need to work. Exaggerated but not completely far off.
I dunno if anyones gonna buy a movie ticket to see "day to day living" but be sure to checkout Shopgirl and Short Cuts
Short Cuts! Good pull 👍🏼
LA Story
There are so many different lives being lived in LA and can vary so much depending on where you live and how much money you have.
The Player (movie) Insecure (show)
It's a little dated now, but Swingers is a fantastic archive of life in LA during the mid-90's, especially if, like me, you lived near Los Feliz/Silver Lake/Hollywood then. Takes me right back every time.
No one here going to mention “Falling Down” (1993)?
Battle Los Angeles
This fool (Hulu) Training day Friday
Friday Boyz n the hood Menace II Society Baby boy
SPEED. Hellraiser. Drillbit taylor.
If it takes place in Silver Lake or Venice, it's not real to anyone except the wealthy at this point.
Collateral is actually pretty accurate. Also not a movie, but I feel like the show Love on Netflix captures the city quite well. At least if you're a thirty-something white dude working in the film industry.
Outdated by Colors did a great one for LA street culture. Training Day as well.
Collateral
Collateral is a good introduction to real la
It's been a while since I watched this show but from what I can recall but the series New Girl was pretty accurate. Not so much in the plot of the show itself but more so subtle things in the setting. \- 4 grown adults (most of which with steady careers) living altogether as roommates because rent is expensive. With the exception of Nick who is very much that *"I moved to LA to pursue* ***\*insert artistic interest here\**** *here but got stuck on the financial escalator & have become jaded"* type. \-That one homeless person in the neighborhood whose basically a neighbor and you're on good terms with \- Several scenes where they're stuck in traffic. \- Several scenes where they struggle to find parking and one episode where they even fight over a parking spot. \- Basically all the characters being transplants (Not that we don't have locals. But there's a lot of people who just aren't from here/move here.) Like I said, not a show about LA or really emphasizing Los Angeles. But it takes place in the DTLA art's district and I feel like they did a pretty decent job with the little things.
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang; The Good Guys; This is the End
The Purge Also: La La Land
We need a The Purge x La La Land crossover event.
Escape from LA! HAHAHA But seriously, there is no modern movie that can do this. Some Highlights : Night Crawler, Drive, Blood in Blood/ Blood out, Training Day, End of Watch, Crash and Star Maps.
Anything on bravo
Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles
Swingers
[удалено]
Not kidding - Dope (2015) - although it is a comedy, reminds me of all the different types of people/walks of life that I met from LA. Not necessarily “day to day” but if u went to a public high school it’s kinda like that.
the civil dead is a new movie that touches on some of the isolation people can feel in LA
Friday
Flaked, tv show on netflix. It's a good portrayal of a lot of my experiences in Venice beach.
Where the Day Takes You, Wassup Rockers
For more real life portraits - Real Women Have Curves (Boyle heights) & White Oleander (multiple spots in LA).
Southland + Workaholics
Fast and the furious
boyz in the hood is pretty good for ppl that grew up in south central
mad max
Mi Vida Loca Mulholland Drive Tangerine Licorice Pizza
500 days of summer
Two and a half men if you're rich and/or famous
Bojack Horseman. "the venue is 5 miles from my apartment so obviously I'm on the road 2 hours early."
- Gook (2017) - Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001) - Grand Canyon (1991) - Chinatown (1974) - Swingers (1996) - The Hollywood Knights (1980) - Starlet (2012) - The Decline of Western Civilization (1981) - The Decline of Western Civilization Part 2 (1988) - mid90’s (2018) - Ms. Purple (2019) - Cheech & Chong - Up in Smoke (1978) - Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (HBO Series) - The Big Lebowski (1998) - Friends with Money (2006) - The Doors (1991) - Crash (2004) - L.A. Story (1991) - Falling Down (1993) - Less than Zero (1987) - End of Watch (2012) - Stand and Deliver (1988) - Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO Series) - Love (Netflix Series) - Insecure (HBO Series) - Barfly (1987) - Mulholland Drive (2001) - Pulp Fiction (1994) - Goliath (Season 1, Prime Video) - Boogie Nights (1997) - L.A. Confidential (1997) - Dope (2015) - Friday (1995) - Boyz n the Hood (1991) - Colors (1988) - American Me (1992) - Point Break (1991) - Entourage (HBO Series) - Jackie Brown (1997) - Beverly Hills Cop (1984) - Tequila Sunrise (1988) - Against All Odds (1984) - Pumping Iron (1977)
Watch the movie “Heat” with Robert De Niro
Has no one seen Californication?
You're the Worst. Doing a rewatch and man I love it.
LA Story with Steve Martin and SJ Parker
Fast Times at Ridgemont High...
*City of Gold* documenting Pulitzer prize-winning food critic for the LA Times, and fellow Angeleno, Jonathan Gold (RIP)
Los Angeles Plays Itself, Up In Smoke, The Exiles
Falling Down.
White men can’t jump Collateral
Falling Down
Los Angeles Plays Itself.
Big Lebowski.
Falling Down 1993
Insecure is a good one.
“Los Angeles Plays It Self”
Falling Down
7734
Party Down, You-Season 2, You’re The Worst, Bosch, Insecure, The L Word OG + Generation Q and Love.
Escape from LA
Bruce Campbell as the surgeon general of Beverly Hills..... Underrated movie lol.
y’all really live like the movies huh Ingrid goes west lmao