Chazelle,who is currently, one of the most exciting directors making "somewhat" mainstream films right now. His long awaited and current Best Picture front runner La La Land takes audiences on a different kind of journey. However the previews for this film are showing it, it isn't a light easy journey. La La Land wasn't what I expected. There were times I found the first half frustrating. I wasn't alone. I counted four people on my side of the theater who walked out of the film in the middle. I stuck through it until the end, and I definitely felt rewarded, but this film will definitely not play well for just anyone.
La La Land is a musical, and in a way it is an homage to Astaire and Roger type musicals of Old Hollywood. As a major musical lover, I have to admit that I'm not a fan of many of the old time Hollywood musical that La La Land clearly adores. It also has a basic premise that I just couldn't totally buy, and that despite the traffic, the grit, and the disappointment, that Los Angeles is a magical place of dreams. This is a hard pill for me to swallow because in all of my many travels LA is one of my least favorite places I've ever been to.
But then something happens. I can't pin it down exactly. I know it was after all of the walk outs though. La La Land will stay in my thoughts for awhile for because of how confounding and beautiful it is. For this is a simple girl meets boy movie that seeks to be something more. The second half is excellent--at times genius, but to say more than that would be unfair to anyone who reads this and may potentially view the film.
Emma Stone, who may or may not win a Best Actress Oscar for this, pulls off the wide eyed naivety well. Her ride through La La Land ends up being the most defined, and she often gives a quite fearless performance. Ryan Gosling, my favorite male actor, catapults a perhaps underwritten character with his charm and great talent. It's funny that this is finally the film that will finally probably get him a second Oscar nomination because he has played many roles that have required much more of him (aside from the dancing). It's a strong performance, but he makes it look easy (even if it maybe isn't).
The third star of the movie is Damien Chazelle's direction which again creates an immersive experience with the music and the colorful visuals. He was clearly influenced by The classic French Film Umbrellas of Cherbourg, and perhaps this film is America's Umbrella. The songs range from fun (the opening traffic scene) to amazing (Emma Stone's monologue song), but ultimately I would say drop your conceptions of what a musical is at the door of you may be disappointed. La La Land is not what you expect. Ultimately it is probably more. What I do know that it is an ambitious but flawed piece is art that makes me even more excited for what it's director's next move is.
La La Land 8 out of 10
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