seriously, do not miss it...

...if your sensibility extends beyond merely adolescent humor. For adults who care about good writing and who understand some of the situations and themes here, this film is an absolute scream.

I'm still watching it again after all these years (TCM rebroadcast it tonight, 1 Dec 2012). I'm sure I've seen it at least seven or eight times. It really is just that good, although it's also true that the story, including the central plot point does matter much more than in many comedies, so that once you've seen it and gotten past that unexpected twist (unexpected for some, anyhow, and revealed with some skill, avoiding the usual film conventions that would tip it off too easily), that part of the enjoyment drops off. But it really doesn't matter. The scene with Albert Brooks and Garry Marshall in the office of the Desert Inn is worth the rental price by itself.

The standard review of this film, especially the user reviews or comments, passes it off as "if you like Albert Brooks, you'll like this film just because it has Brooks in it." That is damning with faint praise. It is by no means a one-man show. I happen to be a fan of most of Brooks' work, although occasionally (rarely, I'd say) his stuff is possibly too nebbish or self-conscious (he was used to perfection in his character in Broadcast News precisely because of that sometime tendency, which indicates to me just how freaking smart James Brooks is). I have nothing close to slavish devotion to Brooks. But LIA is good regardless of whether or not you're a hardcore Brooks fan. It'll make you sick at the typical schlock coming out of Hollywood and will make you long for well-written comedy again.