Directed by: Damien Chazelle
Written by: Damien Chazelle
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Rosemarie DeWitt
La La Land was such a joy to watch. Everything about the film is handled with care by someone with a heck of a lot of talent. Everything from the cinematography to the choreography, the music and the tone, the homages to earlier Hollywood film periods and the acting, it's all done so well and with such enthusiasm.
The story follows a Jazz pianist (Gosling) and an aspiring actress (Stone), whose lives slowly intertwine as they go from throwing barbs at each other and behaving with general distaste, to slowly admitting that they have feelings for each other and building in to a relationship together. Gosling and Stone are positively electric together, convincing in every moment about their feelings towards one another, as they meet each other and grow to feel appreciable emotions towards each other; he has a bad night and treats her rudely, so the next time they see each other she teases him, then they grow to learn about one another, it all happens so organically and believably, and a large part of that is the fact that the two actors are so great together on screen. Their performances also help to feel for the characters as they strive to achieve their dreams while fighting the fact they those dreams are hard to fit in to their lives. While it may seem a little forced to some, I liked the use of seasons to express the state of the couple's relationship.
While the story is being told, Chazelle takes the time to pay tribute to the older days of Cinema, and to Jazz, and to Theatre. One wonderful scene that particularly stuck out in my mind showed a post-modern take on the era of Silent Cinema that also makes for a whimsical musical number, as the two dance among the stars, with no sound but the tune to accompany them. It's quieting to see, the passion of Chazelle comes out in moments like this, he clearly loves the pieces of culture that the film is about. Other scenes take the time to appreciate Jazz; Chazelle's work on Whiplash shines through here.
On a technical level, the film is marvelous too, with so much meticulous colour co-ordination and costume design in the musical numbers, and incredible choreography that have so much work put in to them. I absolutely loved that each one was done in one take as well, it really hammered home the fact that Chazelle was trying to respect the work of Theatre with his imitation, but also take advantage of the camera to get smooth takes and angles that are only capable in Film.
What's more is that these story elements and the musical numbers that join them, the work of the actors, the musicians, the dancers, the director, etc., all of it just works so well together. Everything transitions smoothly without missing a beat, you're watching a song and dance before moving back in to the story and nothing is lost for either. This really is a fantastic film, so much so that I almost want to just write 'Go watch it' another three hundred times to hammer home the fact that people really should see this movie.
The Verdict: La La Land is a magical film, a love letter to everything from Jazz to Theatre to Classic Hollywood, that mixes itself with a heartfelt story about the way our dreams and realities don't always match. If you like Jazz, you'll love it. If you like musicals, you'll love it. If you like movies, especially movies about movies, you'll love it. If you're like me and enjoy all of these things, then this film is an absolute treat. Go watch it.
Rating: 9/10
Published December 27th, 2016
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