Right from the long tracking shot opening scene song and dance number, this film is unabashedly replicating and honoring the Hollywood movie musicals of the past. It's got the dancing, the singing, the whimsy, the spontaneity that comes with musicals, and they are very much a joy to watch here. The songs are simply fantastic, and the soundtrack is a joy to listen to. This movie is also a nice presentation showcasing the city of Los Angeles, from the sights, sounds, and it's residents. In many ways, it's also a satire, since it shows us pretentious struggling artists, iphones, late night social gatherings, the Toyota Prius, and many LA stereotypes you can think of.
If there is one word to describe this movie, it's "charming." Besides the songs and dances, the two leading characters Mia and Sebastian, as respectively played by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, are your flawed by very charming protagonists for this story. The chemistry they have together on screen will definitely pull at your romantic heartstrings. While not technically the best singers or dancers in the cast, they are still really really good in this. There is this song and dance scene that both of them do together for the first time in the movie that was just excellent! Ryan Gosling is impressively amazing on the keyboard, and Emma Stone has this solo song number that is simply mesmerizing.
Now the story itself isn't exactly something you've never seen before and you might fault it for that, however it is still wonderfully told. There is also admittedly a simplicity to the premise about Los Angeles dreamers wanting to succeed in their passion works, but there is also a strong underlying theme regarding that and on the couple's relationship that you can have deep thoughts about. I myself personally had issues with how the movie ended in the final act, but at the same time I was still deeply moved by the resolution.
While it can be easily questioned if "La La Land" is truly strong enough to stand next to the movie musical greats or the classic romantic dramas of old, I can't deny that it's heart is completely in the right place. A huge thank you to director writer Damien Chazelle and to musical orchestrator Justin Hurwitz for making this movie.
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