La La Land

Disclaimer: Spoilers. Kind of. I think. They’re not really spoiler spoilers because they don’t give away much. I sort of allude to stuff. You know what this ain’t my struggle; I’ve seen the film already, you should too.

Cast

Ryan gosling* – Sebastian Wilder

Emma stone – Mia Dolan

Plot

In this musical set in LA, an aspiring actress working as a barista on the film studio lot meets a passionate jazz musician that hopes  to own his a jazz club. They fall in love as they try to make sense of the world as artists  battling to make their dreams come true. Intercut throughout the film are fun songs and dance breaks. In fact, it opens with a visually exciting and busy musical number that throws you right into the excitement. La La Land is a great nod to old Hollywood and it’s perfect for anyone that loves musicals or dance, film, jazz, or just Los Angeles.

Loves

• The Cast – I’ve seen Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling work together before in Crazy Stupid Love. They were great then but their performance in La La Land was phenomenal. You believe in their relationship and every word they say from beginning to end. They both play their part exceptionally well and they utterly deserve the accolades they’ve won for this film.

• Director – Damien Chazelle wowed me with Whiplash but he’s managed to outdo himself with this film. I read about how rigorous and challenging it was to create this film but all of that hard work paid off in the end. Damien is now my favourite director and screenwriter because of this production; he managed to rob me of all my energy and emotions in just a few hours.

• The Music – the songs are beautiful and stirring. Even though I’m not a fan of musicals normally, La La Land changed my mind on what a musical can be. For people that don’t like jazz don’t turn your nose up at this production, it will give you a new found appreciation of jazz in some way shape or form**. Also, the dedication from Ryan Gosling in learning how to play every piano piece deserves a round of applause because he didn’t have to but he did anyway.

More Loves

• The visuals – aesthetically it’s amazing. The strong complimentary colours coupled with the soft natural tones used in the sky worked so well. It was beautiful because everything was so carefully considered. It’s actually the visuals that enticed me the most when I first saw the trailer because visuals speak to me most.

• It’s evocative – it’s been a long time since I’ve been so moved by a film and subconsciously I’ve been waiting for something like LA LA land for so long. It inspired me to follow my dreams and as someone that wants to be a professional storyteller, it was particularly resonant. I hope and pray to create something as flawless as this film. Like even now hours after I’m not over the film and I know I’ll be back to see it again and again.

• It’s funny – I didn’t expect there to be humour this film manages it without forcing it or detracting from the film.

• The dance breaks – every step was well choreographed. The first dance is especially impressive because of its complexity and it even required shutting down a major bridge in LA.

Loathes

There is nothing to hate. Honestly, I was so shaken with emotion by the end of the film I didn’t want it to end. I could happily live in that film if that was at all possibly. Chazelle has designed a world so stunning and enticing you feel utterly immersed in it. I can’t wait for the future when I sit down with my kids and show them this masterpiece that embodies everything I adore about storytelling and the arts.

Favourite line

no Jamal, you be tripping.

Rating: all the stars, just give it all the stars like honestly  pluck them out of the sky and sprinkle them over the cast and crew wherever they go.

*God bless the wardrobe department. They dressed him so well in suits and wing tips.
**Bless Damien Chazelle for making films about jazz – it’s an art form that should not die.