<\/p>\n
\u201cMiracle Mile\u201d takes place in a city in the throes of chaos as Angelenos flee the threat of a nuclear strike. The film was released in 1988, but it has resurfaced in the last few years, attracting sold-out crowds at the American Cinematheque <\/a>and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.<\/a> <\/p>\n Written and directed by Steve De Jarnatt and made for $3 million, the film was restored and re-released by boutique film distributor Kino Lorber in 2024. In her commentary for the Blu-ray, author Janet Fitch (\u201cWhite Oleander\u201d) said \u201cMiracle Mile\u201d<\/a> depicts \u201cthe kind of apocalypse that L.A. people imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n Los Angeles knows how to weather a crisis \u2014 or two or three. Angelenos are tapping into that resilience, striving to build a city for everyone.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n And even though it did not make a big impression when it opened, De Jarnatt said the film has gained what he called \u201ccult status.\u201d<\/p>\n Much of the appeal of \u201cMiracle Mile\u201d appeal can be attributed to the film\u2019s obvious affection for the stretch of Wilshire Boulevard<\/a> bordered by La Brea and Fairfax Avenues. Featured locations include the May Co. and Orbach\u2019s department stores (now the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and the Petersen Automotive Museum, respectively), the nearby Park La Brea towers and Johnnie\u2019s Coffee Shop<\/a>, which is closed and used primarily for film and TV productions.<\/p>\n The movie, which takes place over the course of 24 hours, starts out as a lighthearted romance. Anthony Edwards plays Harry Washello, a struggling trombone player who falls for coffee shop waitress Julie Waters (Mare Winningham) after they meet cute at the La Brea Tar Pits<\/a>. The couple make a date to meet after her evening shift is over.<\/p>\n But their plans fall apart. Harry unwittingly intercepts a call at a phone booth, and the caller tells him nuclear missiles will strike Los Angeles within the hour. As the city unravels, Harry and Julie try to save their upended romance.<\/p>\n The ending is both sad and happy. \u201cTo be with the one you love at the end, even if it\u2019s a brand new love who you met at the La Brea Tar Pits, which is like a time portal and a museum dedicated to extinction, is as good a way as any to go out,\u201d De Jarnatt says.<\/p>\n