A hate letter to Los Angeles

Rating: 7/10 (15 January 2020)

Do you want to hate Los Angeles? Then come here and do all of the clichÃ© things that tourists do such as walking down Sunset Boulevard, and go to Universal Studios. Hey, on the weekend, just switch states and check out Vegas!
Do you want to love Los Angeles? Go on a hike up through Will Rogers State Park and see a performance at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Stay in California for the weekend and spend it in Joshua Tree.
Another way to hate Los Angeles is to watch this film! I'm a native of LA; I've traveled the world and I live here again. I love my sprawling city, but this film made me want to leave forever and move to Manhattan.
Such typical east coast snobbery here, the shots of NY included the esoteric theater (or should I say theatre) company and the jazzy bar where the pretty girl you know is signing a tune... it was so romanticized and hence saccharin. The shots of LA were mostly of Adam Driver's character having a miserable time in a miserable apartment, surrounded by gritty mini malls. These places exist as part of the tapestry that makes LA diverse and interesting, and yet there is so much natural beauty too.
Geographical diatribe over, the film packs a powerful performance punch by Adam Driver. I did side and sympathize with him while interestingly my husband found the culpability rather balanced between the two main characters. Thumbs up.