Every relationship in Harris K. Telemacher's life is love/hate. That is, until he meets Sara.

From Mick Jackson, the director of "Chattahoochee," comes "L.A. Story," starring Steve Martin as a fun-loving guy who is sorely unhappy with his life. Harris loves Los Angeles, and hates it. He loves his girlfriend and hates her. It takes the introduction of a tuba-playing journalist to turn his life around.

Martin, who also wrote the screenplay, portrays a weatherman on the local news who does a segment called "Wiggy Weekend Weather." His forecasts include such explanations as "58 degrees turned the weekend into a real weenie-shrinker." Harris does not consider his job to be an intellectual challenge, but after pre-taping a forecast that turns out to be inaccurate, his boss soon relieves him of it.

"L.A. Story" brims with weirdness. Set in one of the most bizarre cities in the world and featuring strong stars, the film becomes wildly funny. Freeway signs that give advice, a car that takes off of its own volition and crossing signals that advise, "Uh, like don't walk," are all part of the peculiarity underlying the love story.

Before the real love story can begin, though, two women stand in the way.

Harris's girlfriend (Marilu Henner) is the kind of pompous woman who thinks nothing of inconveniencing him in the interest of applying "30-minute lips." She, of course, is stereotyped and flat, like many of the secondary characters of "L.A. Story," but thankfully she has a small enough part to remain funny without becoming overbearing.

Henner seems to have fun with the part, which allows her to pout and primp her way through the film. Her character plays off Martin's well, making him into a shoe-licking doormat without saying a word.

The second in the supporting trio of women is Sarah Jessica Parker, star of the former TV series "Square Pegs." Parker plays SanDeE, a Valley Girl clothing store clerk who catches Harris' attention after his relationship with his girlfriend falls apart. Her body bounces, cartwheels or spins her way to the Hard Rock Cafe, the beach and an enema specialist.

Parker definitely has the most material to play with, and she makes the most of her dizzy character. It is scary to think someone like SanDeE exists in Los Angeles.

The real love story, though, is with Sara. Played by Martin's real-life wife Victoria Tennant, the English journalist forces Harris to look at his life and realize how unhappy he is. She instills the strength to change his situation.

Sara is sent by her publication to explore Los Angeles life, and no one is better than Harris to show her its ups and downs. Theirs is the kind of love that sets off fireworks once they finally let themselves go. "Let your mind go, and your body will follow," advises the freeway billboard.

Aside from the slapstick, rapid-fire comedy that characterizes Martin, the cinematography adds another dimension to material that is already funny. To demonstrate the fast pace of Los Angeles, the sun rises, sweeps palm-tree shadows over lush, sprinkler-fed lawns, and falls over the horizon, all in the blink of an eye.

"L.A. Story" takes the basic romance that has been so prevalent on the silver screen lately and adds the bizarre and comic, producing a movie that touches the heart as much as it tickles the funny bone.