La La Land (2016)
Breathlessly real and beautiful, with Gosling and Stone intensely genuine in their dynamic roles. This film is compelling and inspiring, and its thought-provoking, hopeful, and relatable story is powerful.
What is La La Land about?
While navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist and an actress fall in love while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future. (from IMDB)
My review of La La Land
The atmosphere is dazzling. The whole movie is reminiscent of the charm and spirit of old Hollywood, and is vibrant, electric, and utterly seductive. The sets are stunning and thoughtful, the cinematography fizzy, and the dialogue captivating and engrossing.
But I was especially blown away by Chazelle's exquisite direction. The more I watch the movie, the more I appreciate the choices he made. Just, wow.
The music is beautiful. Gosling and Stone aren't amazing singers, but their characters aren't meant to be, and so it works perfectly. The choreography is tight, and the songs themselves are one minute heartbreaking and then suddenly bursting with life and energy. The music is so absorbing and catchy, and my only regret is that most of the songs didn't last as long as I'd liked them to.
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in La La Land | from IMDB
THE ACTING BLOWS MY MIND. I'm a fan of both Ryan and Emma anyway, but I think their performances are especially amazing in this film. Their exhilarating chemistry and adorable exchanges made me laugh and cry, and I was spellbound under their magic. They are unbelievably shippable, and some of their romantic scenes actually gave me goosebumps.
But while they are an irresistible duo, their individuality is also brilliant. Emma always amazes me with her incredible realness and lack of ego, and her performance comes across so achingly raw and honest. She puts her heart and soul into this role, and it shows.
Ryan is equally fantastic. I think he gives one of the best performances of his career, and he certainly wowed me just as much - maybe even more so - than Emma did.
Their characters are also amazing. The character development is effortless, and Mia and Sebastian are two of the most vivid, relatable characters I've ever seen in a film.
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in La La Land | from IMDB
I love how down-to-earth and real this film is, too. Its theme - "here's to the fools that dream" - resonated deeply with me, and I just adore how Chazelle digs deep into the gritty realness of Mia and Sebastian's situation and their lives and their dreams. It's a story - a message - for all of us; the writers, the artists, the actors, the singers, the designers...everyone. The way Chazelle handles this theme and the way Emma and Ryan portray it, makes the movie not feel like a movie at all. It feels like life, only with more colour and glam.
The only thing I found disappointing was the ending. I know why they chose the course they did and I know that had it ended another way it might not have been so powerful and thought-provoking, but I was still disappointed and a little heartbroken.
