In this essay film, Andersen does a montage of images from various Hollywood productions in the attempt to investigate how the filmmakers represent their hometown in their movies and the ideologies contained in their representations. Like other film essays, Los Angeles Plays Itself it ́s self-reflexive, aiming to analyse - by cinematic ways - the city that produces films. By presenting images of parts of the city rarely shown - with an inclination to Neo-Realism -, Andersen wants to discuss the relation between the control of images and the control of discourse. Furthermore, this is a film about how to watch films. It honor the films importance and why it is crucial to watch them closely.