"La La Land" Review

La La Land is the most enchanting and whimsical movie I’ve seen in a very long time. I’ll admit, I go to the movies a lot, but rarely do I feel so much escapism as I felt while sitting in my local Regal Cinema, falling in love with this film. Directed by Damien Chazelle (Whiplash), La La Land will make your heart ache, and make you smile, feeling nostalgic for the authentic movie musical, unlike the NBC live productions.

Two star-crossed lovers, Mia and Sebastien (Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, respectively) live in Los Angeles, trying to make ends meet and hit their big break. Mia, a barista-turned-actress struggles to get her big break and advance in the world of acting, meanwhile Sebastian longs to open his own traditional jazz club, but can’t keep a steady job. They fall in love, supporting each other with their dreams, but when pursuing one passion, the other can often fall to the wayside.

Enter Keith (John Legend), who offers Sebastian a part in his band. Even though the music isn’t the traditional jazz sound Seb likes, the money and fame become his drive. Mia, meanwhile, struggles to keep up with her barista job while writing a screenplay for a one-woman show. Soon, their relationship suffers due to their pursuing their dreams.

So much preparation went into this role in order for the actors to organically fill their roles. Ryan Gosling spent hours every day learning how to play the piano for this role in order to avoid using CGI or a hand double to film any of his scenes. He picked it up so quickly that classically trained pianist John Legend was jealous. He also had to learn how to tap-dance and waltz, since there was no 90s hip-hop to be seen in the movie. Emma Stone had starred in Cabaret on Broadway, so her song-and-dance skills were a bit more advance than Gosling.

"There was always something challenging to do on this film," Chazelle said. "Anytime you had finished one number, there was something like next week you had to do that was equally as difficult, so we didn't really have a lot of chance to stop and get scared of any one particular moment, you know? We were in for the ride."

The main characters themselves are old souls. Mia is a huge fan of old-school Hollywood. She speaks fondly of the Warner Bros lot she works on, and has a huge painting of Ingrid Bergman on her wall. Sebastian obsesses over a stool Hoagy Carmichael once sat on, and listens to records of the jazz greats. He also dresses old-school chic and drives an outdated convertible.

The Rialto Theatre makes a final appearance in La La Land as an escape into films past for Mia and Seb. They attend a screening of Rebel Without a Cause. The film cuts short as the plot takes the main characters to the Griffith Observatory. Like in the movie, the historic Rialto is shut down and sold, and brings a great sense of nostalgia to their first date. The couple take their date elsewhere with a spontaneous trip to the Griffith Observatory,. Where they dance into the stars.

Stone and Gosling have such amazing on screen chemistry. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that they are the couple that won’t ever be but are, if only in our dream. This is the third movie that they’ve worked together on. They were love interests in Crazy, Stupid Love along with Gangster Squad. With so much more pre-production work and hours rehearsing dance scenes, it’s fair to say hard work pays off.

The film’s score was recorded in the same studio where other movie musicals recorded theirs, such as Singin’ in the Rain and the Wizard of Oz. It should also come as no surprise that many movie musicals were inspirations to La La Land. The sets feel like an older soundstage in itself. The Los Angeles sunset is gorgeous, and we feel warmer throughout the summertime rendezvous’ Mia and Sebastian embark on. (In all honesty, isn’t LA just all sun, all the time, regardless of what the timecards say on screen?).

Hollywood nostalgia is a major theme throughout the film. The film effects are reminiscent of old Hollywood movies and musicals. The abstract cinematography shows this very well. In fact, the title of the film La La Land comes from the idea that stereotypically, Hollywood is the dream for anyone in entertainment. The mannequin effect and use of slow motion and dissolve in various scenes remind movie musical fanatics of older films, and how they would capture the moment in the days of limited technology. The use of the spotlight on Mia and Sebastian is effective, in a way where they become the only two people in the world.

The final dance scene in the movie that walks viewers through the plot is similar to the very big dance numbers at the end of Singin’ in the Rain, or An American in Paris. It is almost like a movie in itself, and this scene in particular brings tears to your eyes, as you watch the “what if” anyone who has ever known love will find hauntingly familiar.

The song-and-dance aspect of the film isn’t exactly what moviegoers would expect when they hear of “movie musical”, but this different type of whimsical is not to be missed. The summer dates and sightseeing throughout Los Angeles is enough to make anybody want to fall in love.

The film is a technicolor dream right from the start, from the costumes to the sets to the warmth the Los Angeles sun brings down on viewers. The opening number hooks you from the beginning, as it feels like an entirely different time period. Only the use of iPhones and the occasional laptop bring us back to the 21st century.

Basically, Hollywood desperately need more movies like this. They are inspirational, telling audiences to follow their dreams and never give up. Fall in love, they say, and sing and dance in the street and just be happy. Very happy. La La Land feels like the way older movies were made, from their simpler effects and the pure passion in every moment on screen.

The "modern twist" placed on this film is one not to be missed, as those who are familiar with old classics will appreciate the nuances that bring them back to the 1950s.

So far, La La Land has broken Golden Globe records (a grand total of seven), as it is the movie to win the most in Hollywood Foreign Press history. With its reputation at film festivals, award shows and among critics, it’s safe to say that it’s definitely worth the hype.

I recommend this movie to anyone and everyone. Even if movie musicals aren’t your thing, or you think Ryan Gosling is overrated, La La Land is worth a watch to anyone who is a dreamer, who has passion burning inside them, or really wants to feel themselves escape in a movie. “People love what other people are passionate about,” after all, and the passion within Mia and Sebastien are infectious as ever.