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Rating: 4.75 out of 5
I moved to California in October 2010. I moved from South Carolina and landed in Anaheim, California. I drove one car, and my mom followed behind me. I had no job, just signed up for my place to stay and the idea/dream to never move back or succeed in Cali. It has been a long and hard road since then, but I am happy with where I am at. L.A. is home to big dreams, movie stars, and a place that can turn no one into someone. There have been plenty of movies and stories about the L.A. dream. It is a dream that can eat you alive. Hell, L.A. can eat you alive if you are not careful. There is always something to do out here. La La Land is a fantastic place to live if it wasn’t for the taxes and traffic. Damn, those two things will drive anyway away. Also, if you want to buy a house, good luck because they are expensive as hell. If you find the right person and group of friends, L.A. land has it all. You have Disneyland, Universal Studios, Knotts Berry Farm, the Lakers and Clippers, the Rams and Chargers, more beaches than you can count, and all the fun you can ever dream of.
Written and directed by Damien Chazelle, La La Land is a beautiful and stylish film centered around two struggling artists, a jazz pianist and an aspiring actress, who meet and fall in love while pursuing their dreams and passions in the bright lights of Los Angeles. Side note, it took me five freakin times to watch this film. I would start it and always stop at the same exact point, the Griffith Observatory scene. I don’t know why I always stop there, but that is where I would end up and move on. While sitting in that glorious Los Angeles traffic, Amelia “Mia” Dolan (Stone), an aspiring actress, gets lost in reading her lines when she experiences a moment of road rage from Sebastian “Seb” Wilder (Gosling), a struggling jazz pianist. Each is looking for their big break in their respective passions. Mia has been going to audition after audition but hasn’t found anything yet. Sebastian wants to run his own jazz club but doesn’t have the funds. After two chance encounters, the pair dance under the city’s starry nights, and a magical romance unfolds. As the love blooms, the choice of putting careers and dreams soon brings up challenges that the pair might not be prepared for. Will love prevail, or will dreams come true?
La La Land is a beautiful but almost standard Hollywood movie. It is romantic, but the ending probably pissed off many people, and I will get to that in the second. The story is beautifully done. We usually have two people trying to be actors and make it big. In this one, Mia wants to be an actress, and Sebastian wants to own a jazz club. It is cool with the Sebastian aspect because most films don’t have the jazz aspects. The pair meet and get off to a really rocky start. The film presents their relationship in a year’s time. After the whole singing on the freeway scene, Mia isn’t paying attention, and Sebastian blows his horn along with the middle finger. The next time the pair meet is when Sebastian plays at a club, where he completely ignores Mia after getting scolded. The pair finally talk at a party when Mia remembers him and makes fun of Sebastian. The love affair is standard in that it has its ups and downs. They fall in love, but when Sebastian overhears Mia talking to her mother, he signs up to play in a modern jazz band. This is where the problems in the relationship start. Sebastian is hardly home, and Mia tries to do a one-woman show. Arguments happen, and feelings get hurt, but Sebastian helps Mia get a role that changes their lives. In the end, it is nothing but happiness but also sadness. Once again, I didn’t like how the film ended, but like most things in L.A., people make it or fail. People fall in love and out of love.
I want to say that this film’s cinematography and imagery were OUTSTANDING. Damn, it really showed the “beauty” of Los Angeles, which is fake. Side note, I was that person that thought L.A. was cool. I went down to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame near the TCL Chinese Theatre, and it was straight-up dirty and nasty. Thank you for my mini, mini-rant. Back to the review. This film brought all the stops by showing the beauty of L.A. The film’s beginning set it off with the dancing on the freeway. Anyone who has driven in L.A. traffic knows that scene very well. Another scene was when Mia and her friends were dancing before going out. Love how they all had different color dresses and the sequence of watching them party hop through this smoky orange scene is breathtaking. Mia in the red room seems to show not anger but sadness. Another scene was when Mia and Sebastian did their tap-dancing number. The multi-color sunset is beautiful as the scene is crisp. I know this paragraph is getting long, but the cinematography is so beautiful. The Griffith Observatory scene was terrific as the pair danced, and you couldn’t help but fall in love with the scene. Whoever was the cinematographer, well done!
With a musical, you have to talk about the music. It is a must to talk about the music in the film. The first song is “Another Day of Sun.” It perfectly represents L.A. traffic and how people have many thoughts while sitting in traffic. It was a fun and upbeat song that would make you want to get out of your car and dance. Maybe not in traffic, but it is a start. Another song is “Someone in the Crowd.” The four actresses who performed this song were amazing. Maybe I need to play that song the next time I go out for a fun time. “City of Stars” was a beautiful song by Gosling and Stone. It was the song that won an Academy Award. It was simple but told the story of the two characters. Even though it had no lyrics, I really enjoyed the “Planetarium” music. It had a lovely melody that would make you want to do a nice waltz or dance. What can I say, all the music in this film is enjoyable.
I have to give it to Emma Stone. I was highly impressed with her as Amelia “Mia” Dolan. It seemed like she put her own life story into this role and made it her own. Stone has a way of being funny, emotional, and serious all in one fluid time. I enjoyed every minute. She was funny when she mocked and danced in front of Sebastian when he was playing his 80s music. Stone deserved her award and
I must admit that I like Ryan Gosling in this film. As Sebastian “Seb” Wilder, he was a little annoying and uptight, but her brought an element with his pushiness. What I didn’t like about his character was the depiction of jazz music and how he didn’t like that it was modernized. That is how things survive and innovate. No genre has stayed exactly the same through the years. I believe you should honor the past and put a new flair to it. I was amazed with Gosling’s singing and how natural he looked at doing it. You could tell the man loved Mia, but you didn’t have to be harsh.
I want to take a quick second to give praise to Damien Chazelle. He thought of this film and wrote it way back in 2010 while in college. After Whiplash, he finally made this film. His direction and feel for the camera are outstanding. If you watched Whiplash, you know homeboy can direct because that film is also exceptional.
La La Land is a great musical. The story, music, cinematography, acting and directing made this a phenomenal film. Stone and Gosling did an outstanding job in their respective roles. The depiction of Los Angeles was spot on. Chazelle deserved major credit and should be praised. Watch this film, come out to Los Angeles, and enjoy an evening under the lights.
BONUS CLIP!!!
