2016 | Dir. Damien Chazelle | 128 Minutes
"Here's to the ones who dream, foolish as they may seem. Here's to the hearts that ache. Here's to the mess we make."
After several chance encounters, aspiring actress Mia and struggling Jazz pianist Sebastian fall in love. While Mia and Sebastian mutually encourage each other to pursue their respective dreams, their relationship deteriorates when Sebastian sets aside his plan to open a jazz club after he finds steady lucrative work playing with a popular band, while success continues to elude Mia.
From its ambitious one-take opening number on a stretch of Los Angeles highway to the intimate tribute to dreamers performed by Mia before the film's incredible finale, Damien Chazelle's La La Land is a masterpiece consisting of brilliant choreography, boisterous music by Chazelle’s regular collaborator Justin Hurwitz, and profound emotional depth. Uplifting musical numbers aside, the film's central love story plays out in a believable fashion from start to end, perfectly capturing the excitement, which can feel as surreal as a waltz among the stars, and the quiet tragedy of a fleeting romance. The film's epilogue cleverly offers the audience a glimpse at an alternate, more typically Hollywood ending, before pulling back to reality. The picture suggests that big dreams are unattainable without a reasonable amount of compromise.
Emma Stone is sweet, fun, and heartbreaking as Mia, perfect for the part in both the physically demanding song and dance numbers, and the quieter somber moments of the narrative. Building upon his cool guy persona, Ryan Gosling is extraordinarily charming as Sebastian, convincingly passionate whenever Sebastian speaks about jazz and its importance. Together, Stone and Gosling are absolutely magnetic, equal parts adorable, hilarious, and tragically sweet. The film also features acclaimed recording artist John Legend as Sebastian's friend Keith, Rosemarie DeWitt as Sebastian's concerned sister, and character actor J.K. Simmons in a small but amusing turn as a disgruntled restaurant owner.
Technically impressive and an absolute delight, La La Land is a classic-style Hollywood musical behind a starkly modern lens. The film has some poignant things to say about the value of holding onto one's dreams and the reality of accepting compromise. It's one of the rare films that should be a surefire crowd-pleaser for dreamers and cynics alike.
FRAGMENTS
- Written by director Damien Chazelle 2010, film studios were not interested producing La La Land until Chazelle's Whiplash proved to be a success
- Emma Watson and Miles Teller were originally set to play the Mia and Sebastian but scheduling conflicts (Watson) and unsuccessful contract negotiations (Teller) lead Chazelle to recast the roles
MCU CONNECTIONS
- J.K. Simmons (J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home)
