The movie, written by and starring Steve Martin, is full of gags about traffic, earthquakes, hip restaurants, ever-temperate weather and happy people who aren’t actually all that happy.

The best movies that capture the essence of California The Essential California team this year expanded opportunities for readers to directly engage with the newsletter.

You can see the first five California movies we recommended here. Feel free to email me at CAtoday@nytimes.com with your choices and why you think they deserve to be included. Happy viewing.