La La Land

     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…)

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