City of Stars

La La Land

So a few days ago I watched this next film that I am reviewing here and I haven’t gotten to putting down my thoughts about it until now. Ironically today The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to release their nominations for this year’s Academy Awards and this film has 14 total nominations, which is record tying. The last film that that achieved that number was Titanic in 1997 and before that the only film to reach that many nominations was All About Eve in 1950. To think that this is only director Damien Chazelle’s second full length feature (his first was Whiplash). I think that it was fate that I give you my lowly review of La La Land.

The Story: Young Mia (Emma Stone Birdman) has moved to Hollywood in hopes of becoming a big movie star. She has gone on many auditions but for right now the closest that she has come to acting on a big studio lot is being a barista in one of their coffee shops. Sebastian (Ryan Gosling Drive) is a Jazz purist that is playing background piano in a club in the Hollywood Hills. Disgusted with playing the same background noise he decides to slip in some of his own music and ultimately gets fired from the club. On that same night Mia happens to be walking near the club and hears him playing and is awestruck by the music. Trying to compliment him, Mia starts to say how beautiful his playing was but Sebastian bumps her out of the way and hastily departs the club. Few weeks go by and Mia surprisingly runs into Sebastian at a party where he is a 80s cover band pianist. After apologies were made, the two start down a path of love and music that will change both of their lives in many different ways.

The Good: Wow, okay so where to begin with this. Let me first say that this film is everything that Hollywood used to be. The pure love story, the music, the colors, the acting…all of it is what the Golden Age of Hollywood was and should be again. I don’t really like when Hollywood or filmmakers like to ‘toot’ the horn of Hollywood and make movies about itself, but here La La Land gives us a taste of what made Hollywood grand. Gosling and Stone have so much palpable chemistry that it forces you to fall in love with both of these characters. Gosling’s Sebastian will take a little more to care for, but Gosling so perfectly shows us Sebastian’s flaws and at the same time gives us a glimmer of the white knight we want him to be. Stone’s naivety and pureness of character is quite endearing, which makes Mia so easy to root for during the film. Chazelle’s direction of this movie is so on point that it is mind-blowing that this is still only his second film. Chazelle combines so many elements into this film (jazz, musicals, romance, and drama) so beautifully. I really have to applaud his use of primary colors in this film as well. The colors pop and almost become a character all on their own. Lastly of course is the music because what is a good musical without good music. The songs are very such an amazing part of the story that they encompass every mood and thought of each of these characters. With the music as well is another way that Old Hollywood shines through with this film because it is that Jazzy/Crooner type music that fits Sebastian’s character and what type of film it is trying to be.

The Bad: This is only me nitpicking at this film, but there are points during the film where the musical aspect of the film fades and it becomes strictly a romantic drama. Then of course the film figures out that it is supposed to be a musical and then brings the singing back full force. That is nitpicking at its finest right there.

The Verdict: La La Land is one of those rare movies that come out of Hollywood that reminds us all why we love going to the movies in the first place. This movie is a feel good film that invites us to witness these two characters to follow their dreams at any cost. I will also say that I think I need to make room in my Top 10 list because I think La La Land has knock some other film out. Please see this movie at your earliest convenience, you won’t regret it.

See In Theaters ASAP