(Spoiler Free)
From the very moment La La Land started a huge smile hit my face and it rarely left. La La Land is funny, charming, surreal, and it absolutely has my vote for best movie of the year (although I haven’t really seen any other “contenders” other than Deadpool which I loved and was amazingly nominated but sadly I don’t think it will be stealing away any trophies).
La La Land is directed by Damien Chazelle, director of the awesome movie Whiplash, another musical film that will turn you into a jazz fan. This is only his second (maybe third) feature film and if these first two are any indication, this Chazelle dude is going to be cracking mad skulls in them cinemas, metaphorically speaking.
Leading the film are the two equally brilliant and stunning Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, whose chemistry and charisma throughout La La Land make it impossible to look away. They’re superb as two talented yet unnoticed artists looking to make it in the city of LA, and they seriously shine during their musical performances.
There are two other main characters besides Stone and Gosling, the music and the city of LA. Of course, La La Land is a musical so expect a plethora of entertaining musical numbers, vivid in both sight and sound. Just like with Whiplash, jazz gets a front row seat throughout the movie, and when its combined with the whimsical musical numbers, La La Land becomes a delicious feast for the ears.
La La Land is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful films you’ll see all year. The city of LA looks undeniably gorgeous and just about every shot is filled with colors that pop and entice. While watching the film I wasn’t sure what impressed me more, the beautiful cinematography, or the fact that I was hardcore into a musical number that was essentially about gals putting on dresses and hitting the town (or something like that).
Impressively, La La Land blends (or clashes) the modern with the classic, it feels fresh but it tastes of old movie musical nostalgia. It feels surreal and dreamlike yet tangible and real. La La Land is about a lot of things. It’s about love and music. It’s about struggling to make it while being true to yourself and trying to hold onto your dreams. It’s about things not working out even when they do. Semi-Spoiler alert… (not big but skip the rest of this paragraph if you want)… La La Land has a bit of a bittersweet ending, and I’m not sure if its more bitter or sweet, but I think the ending fits perfectly, unlike the forced predictable endings most movie romances have these days.
La La Land was beautiful, engrossing, and fun, and it’s one of the best movies of the year. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are perfect together, and paired with the fantastic music and colorful LA, La La Land is an experience you won’t soon forget. Plus JK Simmons, I mean c’mon.
La La Land gets… 5/5 Stars
If you saw La La Land let us know what you thought, if you haven’t go seen La La Land in theaters now, and thanks for reading…
Photo Credit: Snagged from indiewire.com
dusty DVD 