La La Land

La La Land

"Here's to the fools that dream, as crazy as they may seem."

La La Land is the latest film Damien Chazelle (Whiplash), starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. The film is a musical that follows both Gosling and Stone as Sebastian and Mia, who are trying to make it big in modern LA, like many people who move out to the city. It's a story that's been told many times in many ways, so how does La La Land take on the LA story hold up?

La La Land is one of the most refreshing and enjoyable movies I've seen all year (even more impressive since it's the end of the year now). It's late in the year now, and a lot of the time that's when these kind of movies get released (the more original films or serious films that are trying to win awards like Golden Globes and Oscars). I'm always happy to see an original idea come to the big screen, with all the sequels, remakes, and universe movies now-a-days, it's good to step away from all that and just enjoy a stand alone story. 

So one of the most important parts of a musical... is the music itself. La La Land has a big focus on Jazz throughout the entire film, as Ryan Goslings character is an aspiring Jazz musician who's trying to start his own jazz club. The movie really gets into many different types of jazz from classic style jazz, modern jazz, and more mainstream sounding jazz, like Amy Winehouse. I really enjoyed all the music in this film, from the more catchy sing-along style songs you'd expect from a musical to the more classy jazz songs without vocals or more subtle vocals. The movie really shows respect and love to the genre, and it's hard not to share in that same passion, because it really soaks through the screen. Music is used in this film to help elevate emotions and helps strengthen the relationship between the two main characters and their dreams.

While Ryan Goslings character inspires the music in the film, Emma Stone's inspires the cinematography and all the effects the films uses. Emma plays Mia who is trying to become a big actress in Hollywood, going to many auditions and working a dead-end job to pay her bills. Her character is inspired by cinema, and there's a huge emphasis on classic cinema in her story. While Sebastian (Gosling) is connected to the music in the film, Mia (Stone) is connected to the cinematography of the film. The film uses a lot of themes (like font, colors, shots, settings, clothing and lighting) from classic Hollywood cinema. It really elevates the movie and it makes it feel even more special when you feel the characters are connected to all the pieces that are happening on the screen. 

The performances by Gosling and Stone are really great, they have great chemistry in this film. You really feel the love they have for what the dreams they are fighting through their acting. They also do a great job with all the choreography for all the dance numbers (some more simple than others) and musical set pieces. Also I love the fact that Ryan Gosling actually learned all the piano parts he plays in this song, it just helps to make it much more believable. Ryan Gosling is one of my favorite actors, and he always gives amazing performances in all his films. Also lots of credit to Emma Stone who seems to be getting better every year herself. 

As I said before, the story is one that's been told many times before. The way everything comes together in this film really makes the story feel special and different than anything I've seen recently. I got connected to the characters, and I understood the struggle they were going through, and I could feel their pain alongside them. It's something that almost everyone can relate to, having a dream and chasing it. Their's hard work, pain, tears, rejection, financial struggle, and it sometimes just doesn't feel worth fighting for anymore. This film does a great job of not only showing those emotions, but letting you feel them alongside the characters. It's a story about sacrifice, what could be and what could have been. 

If you get a chance to see this film, I recommend it 100%. For some it might be hard to look past the musical aspect of the film (as I know it's not for everyone). But if you can look past that, you get a memorable film with lots of heart and passion. Clearly both of those things went into making this movie, which is why it's so great.

Overall Grade: A