La La Land (2016)

I was interested in seeing this film because not only am I a sucker for a good musical, but I'll admit to being a big fan of Ryan Gosling as well as Emma Stone and I was intrigued to see what the director of Whiplash would do with a musical picture to make it fresh and unique. The premise of the story is that Stone is a young actress who has moved to LA to wait tables while auditioning to try and 'make it', while Gosling is a jazz purist  who plays the piano in bars to make a living and dreams of opening his own Jazz bar. Or to put it succinctly - "Two young artists meet and fall in love while chasing their dreams". The musical flows thematically from first love to heartbreak and every other emotion between, with great music throughout.


The film gets you with its charm. It flows from the dialogue like poetry. The chemistry between Stone and Gosling makes the film livelier. Stone has slowly shown herself as a force to be reckon with in Hollywood and now Gosling has join the ranks after his stellar performance as the jazz pianist who's main dream is watch jazz live on. Stone is a wanna be actress who can't find her way. Together, they thrive off each other's love and support as they try to accomplish their goals together. Each have a chance at their first Oscar gold.

Damien Chazelle effectively breathes life into the romance genre, operating on both narrative and technical elements have been abandoned since the Golden Age of Hollywood back in the 50s. Opening up with a vibrant musical number on a crowded highway, this film mixes elements of classic musicals with a gripping love story that gracefully comes to life on both a narrative and visual scope. This movie makes me miss Roman Holiday 

Visually, 'La La Land' is a gorgeous-looking film, with lots of vibrant colour that leap out at you from the screen while not having too much of a dizzying effect and cinematography that's not just a dream to behold but inventively done without falling into self-indulgent territory. The music and songs may induce, and has induced, mixed reactions, count me in as somebody who found the songs infectious, emotion-filled and with enough to make one top-tap and hum along.La La Land also use colors in a very interesting way. as I said before, this movie is very colorful.The most prominent color in this movie is Purple. i don't know why, but it works so well. you'll see purple everywhere.

Damien Chazelle did it again! His Whiplash knocked it out of the park two years ago, and La La Land is everything we can ask for and more.  Mr. Chazelle, takes our two lovers on a journey that confronts life's on- going question about love, relationships, and art. It literally sweeps you off your feet and send you into space with a sense of nostalgia and joyous surprise.  Some of the musical numbers seem forced and do not blend with the reality surrounding our lovers. 

Damien Chazelle is the magician who made every frame of his poetry glimmer so high up in the stars. The music in the movie is so pleasing and 'City of Stars' was especially brilliant. The orchestra was so beautifully set. This movie is simple, realistic yet beautiful and charismatics. Not only the characters but also everything about this movie is so charming.

8.6/10 IMDb
93% Rotten Tomatoes
93% Metacritic
9/10 Verdict