Not the Laguna Beach They Know

Beth Cowl of the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce “loved the book.” But she thinks the “abbreviated” film version to be shown on HBO this weekend puts too much emphasis on “sleazy bars, funky motels and weirdos.”

She thinks the town’s “better, truer side” was not touched on at all. Instead, “they made us look like downtown Long Beach in the 1950s.”

Laguna Beach Mayor Neil Fitzpatrick also said the film “isn’t very accurate,” but: “When it comes to movies like this, it’s a fantasy. It’s all a matter of poetic license. So I’m not overly surprised by what they do to our city’s image.”