Richie’s Review: La La Land

With Oscar season approaching quickly, I watched “La La Land” because of the 14 nominations it has received; despite the fact that it is a musical. “La La Land”, starring Ryan Gosling, who plays Sebastian and Emma Stone, who plays Mia is directed by Damien Chazelle, with his only past work being Whiplash. The film is about Mia and Sebastian trying to live their dreams in a city where becoming famous seems impossible for the normal–Los Angeles. Mia aspires to be a big Hollywood actress, while Sebastian desires to be amongst jazz legends and one day own a jazz bar of his own. Although following your dreams can cause some of the most difficult moments in your life, the journey towards those dreams can create some of the best memories that will stay with you forever.

There are definitely things about La La Land that are memorable. One thing that makes this movie so unique was the use of ‘old-school’ techniques. As you watch the scenes, you feel as if everything choreographed and performed was done traditionally. An example of this is the opening scene where a huge crowd of people on the highway burst out of their cars and continue an exhilarating song and dance, using surrounding vehicles and each other as props; all while being done in one-shot. Another example of the traditional approach was Damien Chazelle making Ryan Gosling learn the piano. Again, this made you stop and wonder how much work was put into this film; the shots of Gosling playing do not make it look like an effortless feat.

Another thing I enjoyed was the energy throughout the movie. In other words, the emotions in La La Land are different from many others. Personally, I enjoy darker films with gritty visuals and moody type-of-vibes. But the feelings of happiness, joyfulness and bliss are almost always present in the film. Also, the chemistry between Gosling and Stone is so natural and magnifying, making you more invested in the characters and their problems. Some of the songs definitely bring out the feels and the music is incorporated with the emotions of the characters which make up for some true cinematic moments.

Despite the fact that La La Land is a modern classic, there are also some flaws. One thing I did not enjoy was the lack of a plot. The story feels somewhat repetitive, making the pacing messy at times. There surely could have been more done with the plot, especially if there are two main characters. Another point that needs to be brought up is that it felt like there were no problems in the middle of the movie which raised some questions for me. What is the point of a movie if there isn’t any conflict? I’m not saying that the whole film is like this but from time to time those kinds of questions were raised.
Overall, I thought this was a delightful movie, capturing beautiful moments that have very human emotions behind them. The screenplay was executed abundantly but the story could’ve used some work. While the choreography and songs were well-made, it sometimes got annoying in my opinion (but I don’t really like musicals). I admire Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone for their performances; no pair could have done it better than them. My highest respect goes to Damien Chazelle for creating a challenge for himself and the people he worked with to develop a piece of art that was complex to make and was not easy to finish. Don’t worry Damien, those Oscars will come pouring in.