La La Land Movie Review

Everyone rejoice! It’s the beginning of the year, meaning New Year resolutions, and a nationwide celebration as our 2016 is delightfully thrown away and a new, brighter 2017 is welcomed. But what else is included in the grand 2017 package? Why, the most mediocre and subpar films of the year! Yes, that's right, as the Oscar season of films come to an end, studios also tend to begin releasing the movies originally set on the back burner, or ones that barely met the cut. For moviegoers such as myself, this usually means a monthly break from the theatres, at least until the regular release schedule of your expected movies begin to continue. Fortunately, this year seems to be giving us multiple reasons to head on over to the movie theatre and pay for a movie ticket.

I present to you a Hollywood homage, and a traditional styled cinematic musical at that. Yet, a film from the hearts of modern upcoming artists, that dared challenge the status quo of cinema by publicly releasing a movie of the likes of Singing in the Rain - La La Land, starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, and directed by the recently famous, Damien Chazelle. We’re all familiar with the talent from Emma and Ryan, but Damien himself is a directorial newcomer. However, he has seen his fair share of fame, for example, in 2014, he was the mastermind behind the critically acclaimed thriller jazz movie, Whiplash, which was awarded three Oscars at the Academy Awards including Best Supporting Actor.

Oddly enough, both Whiplash and La La Land couldn’t be more different in genre and narrative, and it astonishes me that Damien was behind both screenplays. In addition, the fact that his next movie was a musical seemed extremely risky, especially considering it would determine his ultimate reputation in the industry. He could have been a one-hit director, kind of similar to Neil Blomkamp and his original District 9, only for his movies to slowly decline in quality despite receiving the Hollywood treatment of high class actors and digital effects. However, Damien seems determined to create, as a passionate artist should. I am happy to announce that La La Land achieves in every foot, not only as a whimsical musical, but also with a more serious bittersweet undertone, a commentary about the complications of art and the dreamful aspirations that come with it.

The movie jumps right into it when a seemingly dull traffic jammed highway abruptly turns into a dance number with rich choreography and singing drivers jumping about on their vehicles. It’s an exciting opening to bring us into this musical-driven version of Hollywood, almost absurdly presented as in essence, it has nothing to contribute to the main plot. Originally the scene itself was considered for a cut, but due to the amount of effort placed into the blocking the team decided to keep it.

Soon after the number, all of the singers and dancers return to their cars as if not a thing has happened. We are quickly shown that Ryan Gosling is fiddling with an interior cassette player in a nearby car, as if trying to properly play a piano jazz piece, and replaying the track when feeling unsatisfied. Immediately after, the camera pans over to Emma Stone in the car in front of him, practicing the lines of a short script for an upcoming audition. However, her constant focus seems to get the better of her as she does not notice the traffic begins to move, and so the jazz enthusiast whips right by her, taking a break to give her the finger.

These are our two central characters, one, a Jazz dork who is too stubborn to enter the monotonous cycle of reality, following behind the shadows of Charlie Parker to Miles Davis, and an actress with big dreams trying to make her breakthrough in Hollywood (La La Land). Particularly, Sebastian is a pianist, and a rather passionate one at that. He resides in a cheap, almost neglected apartment, filled to the brim with memorabilia of jazz artists. His sister drops by from time to time making sure her disconnected brother stays on track with the bills and takes up social opportunities. Mia is the name of the young, aspiring actress, who is currently living with three charismatic roommates. Never finishing school in search of stardom, Mia constantly auditions for any type of role, hoping to gain at least a bit of reputation in the industry. Unfortunately, she is met with either abrupt phone calls or the intimidation of prettier women auditioning, interfering in her acting ability and confidence. She manages to remain hopeful, even if a little bitter.

Mia and Sebastian soon enter an optimistic life of passion and dreams, as they begin to find themselves through each other. Despite originally having nothing in common, their interests show a previously unseen perspective. Mia is attracted to the pianist’s love for his craft - a man with a rhythm of his own.

La La Land tackles many themes throughout the film, and not just simply a homage to the classic musicals of the forties- unlike the Coen’s Hail Caesar. Dreams, a core theme of the film, can be a fragile thing, like it seems you’re up against the entire world, as it tries to persuade you to go through the motions. The idea of being creative and unique almost goes against the modern system, and can cripple an artist’s own confidence. The movie also challenges one’s own values of their integrity, as Sebastian begins to doubt his dying traditional jazz when an old friend shows him his success of modern electronic jazz. It does not necessarily highlight the ongoing conversation of the genre, but more so to focus on Sebastian's choices as a struggling pianist, whether he should pursue for his finances or a personal dream. These are the kinds of questions an artist ponders daily, determining when one should coincide with the real world or stick to his or her own happiness. And sometimes, it can simply mean letting go and moving on.

There’s hardly much to say when talking about the negative side of the film. Both Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone performed excellently, not only as professional actors but as dancers and singers. The two, triple threats also show believable chemistry as lovers. The movie also has rather diverse scene types. Sure, it is mostly identified as a musical, but instead I believe the film should be characterized a music film, because the number of dancing and singing sequences reduce when the plot begins to thicken. Instead, the film moves on to more emotional scenes, yet still sticking to its main scores. One thing I want to keep a surprise is the brilliant ending that Damien is known for. If anything, it would be worth the watch just for the conclusion, as it leaves you with the most complex feelings of the true narrative of the movie.

La La Land doesn’t pull back in it’s fantastic production of old-school music numbers and well executed use of music. Clearly time and dedication was put in this rebellious film against your usual Hollywood cash grabs, but more importantly a sense of passion throughout all departments of the movie. Acting is surprisingly well-done with the chemistry between Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, as they prance around the city of dreams. But don’t go into this movie expecting a corny musical with just a happy narrative, for you would be underestimating the movie completely. Expect to see La La Land in the upcoming Academy Awards, so do yourself a favor and experience the sensation.

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