Welcome to L.A. (MGM LE Collection)

Alan Rudolph's third feature as director, following a couple of low-budget horror outings, Welcome to L.A. concerns an intertwined group of Californians who register mainly as being self-centered and miserable. These more or less well-off individuals struggle with their own relationships to others and show an increasing disconnect to everyday life. The one character who might be described as exhibiting the most happy behavior happens to be the least financially secure - a cleaning lady played by Sissy Spacek. The rest are a sad collection of malcontents played by a nice ensemble of well-known actors. Anyone who's seen Choose Me knows that Rudolph would go on to tackle collective loneliness with a better sense of the mood needed to make his characters interesting. That later, not dissimilar film is a markedly more effective exercise.

In addition to Spacek the cast here also includes Keith Carradine (who would become a Rudolph favorite after putting in time with Robert Altman), Sally Kellerman, Harvey Keitel, Geraldine Chaplin, Viveca Lindfors and Lauren Hutton. The Altman carryovers are of special interest. Alan Rudolph worked on some of his best films as an assistant director and there's even a prominent "Robert Altman presents" that precedes Welcome to L.A. And while there's perhaps a superficial resemblance to Altman's work here, the relative lack of a sense of humor highlights how wide the separation between the two tends to be. Rudolph seems to wallow as Altman stings. A more apt comparison, with many qualifiers to prevent too much enthusiasm, might be Paul Thomas Anderson and his movies Boogie Nights and Magnolia. Anderson is another disciple of sorts of Altman and Welcome to L.A. can be somewhat reminiscent of his work.

Carradine's character Carroll Barber, a songwriter and musician who is the son of a prominent dairy magnate (played by Denver Pyle), carries angst and aimlessness with little regard for much else other than women. Interestingly, Richard Baskin, who appears as the singer Eric Wood in the film, seems to have been a potential inspiration for Barber since his father was the co-founder of the ice cream chain Baskin-Robbins (along with his uncle on his mother's side). A pair of songs use Baskin's distinctive voice but really overdo it through repetition. One's level of enthusiasm for his singing might be a barometer of sorts for the toleration/enjoyment of the film.


Looking further at the cast, it's nice at first to see Keitel but the lack of dimension in his character soon makes him hard to stomach. He's someone who values work above all else, showing no concern for his wife (Chaplin) and eager to engage in an affair with Kirkland. Again, the idea of this lot being a generally terrible group of human beings is a chore to get past. Chaplin is strange and unhinged but never in a charming manner. Carradine's affection for her remains difficult to reconcile. Only Spacek's quirky housekeeper, with a penchant for taking off her clothes while working, registers in any kind of favorable manner. Her relationship with Carradine becomes the most normal and heartfelt, despite being entirely platonic.

Though Welcome to L.A. is a drab disappointment, its flaws shouldn't be enough to completely sour someone on the career of Alan Rudolph. His dry style, reminiscent most of the European sensibility seen on film rather than even Altman or other American auteurs of the era, can be an acquired taste. Perceptions vary, but the misfire of Welcome to L.A. doesn't really predict the better films that would follow, like Choose Me but also Trouble in Mind, The Moderns and maybe Love at Large.

The Disc

MGM's made-on-demand Limited Edition Collection is the route taken for Welcome to L.A.'s digital bow. The DVD-R can be found from a select few online retail outlets.

Single-layered, the disc presents the film in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio and is enhanced for widescreen televisions. The transfer appears to be from an unrestored and dated source. Some bits of damage and stray marks remain and indicate the lack of even the slightest amount of digital clean-up. Colors look dull and unimpressive. Grain is heavy. This is anything but a "pretty" film to look at in its form here, though how far it may or may not stray from the intended look is difficult to know with any certainty. There's absolutely no indication that MGM took the time and effort to improve the image.

The dull drone of the English mono audio inspires a similar lack of confidence in the technical care put into this release. A low hiss or hum exists over the track. Dialogue also doesn't emerge as freely or audibly as one would like. The lack of subtitles compounds this issue. Watching and listening to Welcome to L.A. is never a downright struggle but it also fails to become any sort of inviting experience.

"It's much more than a movie. It's a scene," proclaims the theatrical trailer (3:00), thoughtfully included here.

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