This one gets a worth consuming for reasons that have nothing to do with the narrative or acting. You’ve seen the story played out a million times with more or less appealing actors and its inherent cliches abound (there’s even a random person on the subway randomly giving flowers to the pretty sad girl) and it’s all pretty dull…

But…but…but….!!!

The real star of this film is Los Angeles and its architecture. I didn’t care that the lead characters bored me to tears or that their story was slightly nauseating because it unfolded on the hoof, as it were, all their conversations and dumb little revelations and self pity unfolding in front of some really great shots of every style of skyscraper, apartment complex, government building, plaza and hotel from almost every period, all beautifully shot in black and white by a cinematographer with a real eye for that sort of thing—halfway through the film and I completely forgave him for the hideous b&w bacon frying shot (gross!) and all the pore-inspecting close-ups of the two lead actors. Zoom back camera, that city has never looked so glorious!