The answer was staring me in the face, but it took a while before registering with me. There I was the other day, pawing through the nooks and crannies of my mind in search of the next topic for my blog. I was in the mood to write another of the impressionistic, ruminating pieces that have been rolling off the assembly line pretty regularly the past few months. Trouble is I hadn’t had any mini-adventures of late that I could wrap any impressionistic ruminations around. That’s when I turned my thoughts in a different direction, a cinematic one. My wife Sandy and I had taken a trip recently to a local theater where we sat close to the screen, figuring that doing so would help us become one with the movie’s charms if what we were about to see turned out to be as good as we were hoping it would.
Which is a longwinded introduction to my announcing that I have some thoughts to impart about La La Land, a musical that came out at the tail end of 2016 and now is in wide release throughout the States. This, to me, is a great movie. An example of near-perfection. An alluring and enticing creation that deserves the viewership of all who have good hearts and soft spots therein.
Yeah, I’m prone to gushing. That’s OK. There are worse ways to be. And when it comes to La La Land I’m not the only gusher by a long shot. I don’t read a lot of movie reviews, but the reviewers whose words I took a look at fell hard for this one. Sandy, who is more tuned in than I to a lot of things, confirmed that seemingly everyone carrying the title of critic had pointed their thumbs upward after watching La La Land.
What, then, do we have here? La La Land is a girl-meets-boy story. And, when well done, that template is boffo, isn’t it? Hey, I hear a few of you in the back of the room murmuring “nah.” Get out! Class is dismissed for you.
La La Land’s girl is Mia (Emma Stone), an aspriring actress caught up in the confidence-squashing eddies of the audition mill. The boy is Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a sensitive-fingered jazz pianist scrambling to make a living while dreaming of the day he opens his own jazz club. Mia and Sebastian first cross paths on a Los Angeles freeway. The freeway, witness to a traffic jam from Hell, becomes the stage for the movie’s opening sequence, a lilting and athletic song and dance routine unfurled by scores of traffic stuckees who exit their vehicles to sing and jump and prance giddily on car roofs and hoods, making the best of what normally would be a real bad situation. Finally, the tangle of metal and tires begins to ease up. But Mia, slow to gun her engine, becomes the victim of relentless horn blasting from someone in a car behind hers. Sebastian. To which she responds by flipping the bird at him as he pulls out and breezes by. Take that. fella!
Needless to say, things become better between Mia and Sebastian when, as fate absolutely would have it, they unexpectedly meet again and again in The City Of Angels and realize that they are meant for each other and destined to fall in love. Which they do. But will love endure? La La Land, though bright and frothy much of the time, isn’t that way all of the time, so the answer to the question is far from a given. Damien Chazell, La La Land’s writer and director, throws more than a few dollops of darkness and pain into the mix. La La Land is a colorful, romantic bonbon laced with the realities of life.
It didn’t take long for me to fall under La La Land’s spell. Stone and Gosling possess the type of feels-right screen chemistry that often is elusive. Their Mia and Sebastian banter easily with one another, before the day arrives when cracks open in their relationship, and the two stars sing and dance in a sweet and natural manner. The songs (music by Justin Hurwitz, lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul) that they and others emit are strong and tuneful. And sometimes piercing, as is the case with the stream of consciousness-like Audition (The Fools Who Dream), sung by Mia/Stone at a, natch, movie audition. And La La Land is filled with sequences so gorgeously done I felt honored to be watching the flick. Especially when Mia and Sebastian, at Los Angeles’ Griffith Observatory, take each others’ hands and begin to dance, soon lifting from the floor to merge with the cosmos projected on the observatory dome’s underside.
You don’t see a whole lot of original movie musicals, which La La Land is, anymore. Or musicals based on stage productions either, for that matter. Both varieties used to be a staple of the film industry, but that was eons ago as measured in cinematic years. Don’t know why they’ve faded away. I mean, who doesn’t love The Wizard Of Oz, Singin’ In The Rain, An American In Paris, Cabaret . . . ? In any case, I left the theater thinking that La La Land is up there with those titans. You have to give it to Chazelle, who also scripted and directed 2014’s Whiplash, a nerve-wracking, music-themed opus that decidedly isn’t a musical. The guy has immense guts to have attempted La La Land, not to mention the vision and skills to pull it off. And he’s only 32. My God, when I was his age I hadn’t even mastered tying my shoes yet. Come to think of it, I still haven’t.
Well, I could go on but I won’t. You get the idea. If you haven’t already seen La La Land, make a date.
(Don’t be shy about sharing this article or about adding your comments. Thanks)
I received a DVD screener for the SAG elections and saw it. I agree. It’s a fine movie and delightful to watch. I thought the acting — and writing – in Manchester topped it, but both are really fine films.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hello Janet. I liked Manchester a lot too. It’s very fine.
LikeLike
I loved la la land!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a winner!
LikeLike
Your writing soars in this one, Neil! Great review! I’m planning to see it as soon as I can.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s really nice of you to say that. Thanks very much.
LikeLike
Saw La La Land a couple weeks ago. Went in not even knowing what the movie was about. I was charmed. I really dug it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi. I rarely watch a movie more than once. But I’ll probably catch this one a second time one of these days.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hmmm…I hate musicals. But I loved this review. You seem very passionate about it. I loved Whiplash, though. So, I’m almost convinced to watch this film.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Kathy, I bet you’ll like it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’ll see 😐 I did finally get around to watching Moonlight. That was excellent, though my hubby wasn’t happy after about 30 mins in lol but it was a very artistic representation of society and our issues.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree with you. A really high quality movie.
LikeLike
Seems like the Oscars people agree with you – didn’t this film just get a record number of nominations?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi. Yes, I think you’re right.
The movies released in 2016 that I liked best are La La Land and Miles Ahead, which is a wild fantasy based on the life of Miles Davis.
LikeLike
I’ve yet to hear anything negative about this film. Will see very soon!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, Marilyn. I know people who didn’t like this movie. To me it was irresistible. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not often sold by the hype but this is one film I’m going to see with friends for a birthday outing next month! So glad you review was this positive and gushing…can’t wait now!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, Annika. Thanks very much for adding your thoughts. You and your friends will enjoy this movie, I’m sure.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Perfect timing on my part, Neil. Joel and I saw LaLa Land last night, and both of us left the theater feeling we’d just experienced an outstanding movie. Then you, my favorite movie critic, reinforces our reaction. I felt it was a magical movie; and my husband, who does’t like to take the same walk more than once a month, said he’d like to see it again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, Janet. I feel the same as Joel — I wouldn’t mind seeing this movie again. It’s that good.
LikeLike
Nice review, Neil – I’m almost covinced to go and see a musical!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, Andrew.
In one of my comments above, I mention the movie Miles Ahead. It came out last year, and it’s a wild ride inspired by the life of Miles Davis. It’s fictional, but feels as if it could be real. It was one of my very favorite flicks from 2016. If you see it, please let me know what you think of it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Will do!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve already learned to trust your judgment, so I will confidently move this flick from the “contemplating” to “must see” list…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, Brian. That’s a really nice compliment. Gracias.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, we finally made it out to see the movie, and I was completely mesmerized. The inventiveness and the film-making exuberance was a joy. And the structure and editing toward the end was an admirable feat. I’m quite happy that you nudged me toward this one…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi. I watched the BAFTA awards last weekend. They are the British version of the Oscars. La La Land won best picture. Your description of LLL is right on the money.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have been humming the title song for weeks! Nice review. 👍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks.
The guy who wrote the music (other people handled the lyrics) is a longtime friend of the director. They met either in high school or college. I forget which.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was so surprised by La La Land–not necessarily at what was delivered (which was spectacular–the cinematography, the use of sound-beyond the songs, the costuming…I could go on but I don’t need to)–but at how it felt like one of the old musicals I love so much and thought were a thing of the past. Modern musicals always feel kind of gritty, which I also appreciate, but there was a lightness and joy to this one that I so needed to feel this January. It’s what every musical should be–a perfect antidote to everyday life.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi. Your description is right on target. This is a movie that really lifts our spirits. I keep thinking about La La Land, which probably means I should go and see it a second time.
LikeLike
I very much look forward this film now! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi. Thanks for stopping by this humble site.
This movie received a whole lot of Oscar nominations. It will be interesting to see how many Oscars it goes home with.
LikeLiked by 1 person
yes yes yes, couldn’t agree more, im really enjoying discovering and reading La La Land lover’s great WordPress articles like this 😀 ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
What? You mean I’m not the only person who reviewed this movie?
(Just kidding.)
Thanks a lot for stopping by, Kia. I appreciate it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved this film too. Glad I decided to check out your back-catalogue. Now I’m reminded, I might give it another whirl.
LikeLiked by 1 person
By the way, the BAFTA awards are broadcast on one of the networks we receive. I think it’s this coming Sunday. I love watching BAFTA.
LikeLike