86
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittSmart, funny, stimulating.
- 91Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanGliding from the physical to the metaphysical, Andersen reveals how films like ''Chinatown'' effectively remade the reality of Los Angeles, replacing history with myth in a way that now anchors the city more than that history itself does.
- 90VarietyRobert KoehlerVarietyRobert KoehlerLos Angeles may be the most photographed city in the world, but it has never have been captured with such complex layers of meaning and fascination as in Thom Andersen's remarkable Los Angeles Plays Itself.
- 90The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasDazzling cinema-essay.
- 90TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxThom Andersen's idiosyncratic, three-hour masterpiece is both a dazzling work of film criticism and a fascinating piece of urban anthropology.
- 88New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickSo terrifically entertaining, it would be a shame if it didn't inspire a companion piece on New York.
- 80New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter RainerNew York Magazine (Vulture)Peter RainerWhat gives Los Angeles Plays Itself its extraordinary density is the way Andersen transforms a cliché into a metaphysical truth that encompasses far more than L.A.
- 80Village VoiceJ. HobermanVillage VoiceJ. HobermanIt is an essay in film form with near-universal interest and a remarkable degree of synthesis.
- 75New York Daily NewsJack MathewsNew York Daily NewsJack MathewsWhat Andersen does best is capture the sense of growing up and living among the landmarks of Hollywood's authentic back lot.
- 60The New York TimesDana StevensThe New York TimesDana StevensLos Angeles Plays Itself, in spite of its length, is rarely tedious, an achievement it owes mainly to the movies it prodigiously excerpts.