La La Land is directed by Damien Chazelle (Whiplash) and
stars Emma Stone (Easy A) and Ryan Gosling (Drive). It tells the story of an aspiring
actress and an old fashioned jazz player who work through their new found love
in modern day Los Angeles.
Right up front, this movie is a musical. I don’t think of
myself as a lover of musicals, but La La Land might just make me a believer.
From the opening musical number on a highway during rush hour to more intimate
scenes in jazz clubs, the movie’s music is its strength. Immediately after
leaving the theater I went to Spotify and downloaded the soundtrack and have
listened to it multiple times since and even find myself some of the catchier
tunes. And along with the songs comes dancing that again was incredible. Stone
and Gosling really committed themselves to learning how to sing and dance in
order to portray the best performances possible.
And that leads into my next strength: the two leads. Gosling
actually learned to play the piano and his musical ability shines through in
the movie. But Stone is the stronger of the two and will almost certainly be
nominated for many awards this season. The way she was able to emote with her
face was incredible making it easy for the audience to connect with the
hardships and trials that she goes through.
If I had to find a weakness with the film, it would be the
underdeveloped supporting characters. Aside from Gosling and Stone, none of the
characters (save J.K. Simmons as a bar owner) were memorable in the slightest.
But the strength of the two leads allows this not to be too troubling as they
were mesmerizing in their roles.
Something I never thought would matter to me in a movie is
the costume design. But I saw myself noticing the color changes as the
characters grew and developed together throughout the story. Small things like
this help to make La La Land one of the best films I have seen in a long time.
This past Thursday I saw two films: one from a galaxy far,
far away and another that is a love story set in a musical. And somehow the
musical was better.
When should you see it?
Opening Night (and the week after that and after that…)
Opening Night (and the week after that and after that…)
No comments:
Post a Comment