[2][3] In the film, Andersen argues that the influence of Hollywood overshadows Los Angeles, and is one of the reasons the city's name is frequently abbreviated.

[4] The documentary also explores the early history of Los Angeles in film,[5] often as a stand in for other cities like Chicago that were bigger in the 1930s, as well as how cinema managed to capture long-gone immigrant enclaves that were razed to make room for downtown skyscrapers in the 1960s and 70s.

Andersen stated that the film idea occurred to him after a lecture he gave at the California Institute of the Arts, where he talked about his objections to L.A.

Confidential, Curtis Hanson's 1997 Academy Award-winning neo-noir adapted from James Ellroy's novel about Los Angeles in the 1950s.

The site's critical consensus reads: "A treat for cinephiles, this documentary is a comprehensive, academic, and enlightening film essay concerning Los Angeles and its depiction in the movies.