La La Land Review
No spoilers ahead!
“La La Land,” a movie musical released only a month ago, has already made a space for itself among the well-known greats of movie musical history. “La La Land” follows the stories of a struggling actress, Mia (Emma Stone) and an old-school jazz pianist, Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), both trying to find their way through the competitive and fast-moving atmosphere of L.A.. The story, although charming, falls second to the style and of the production of the film.
From the opening number, the viewer is absorbed into “La La Land”. The scene occurs on an L.A. freeway filled with cars stopped in bumper-to-bumper traffic that transforms into dozens of drivers dancing on top of their cars singing the catchy tune of “Another Day of Sun,” the perfect number to set the tone for the rest of the movie. The scene introduces the viewer to a world of radiantly colorful clothing that seems to pop off of the screen as well as the appealingly lyrical songs that make this film so incredibly watchable. The largest numbers in the film include dozens and dozens of dancers all perfectly timed to create an energy and liveliness that passes through the screen into the theater where tapping feet can be seen up and down the aisles.
“La La Land” is already a 7 time Golden Globe winner, a considerable amount when the average of other well-known musicals such as “The Sound of Music” (4 Golden Globes), “My Fair Lady” (3 Golden Globes), or even “Singin’ in the Rain” (2 Golden Globes) are taken into account. The genre that it falls under is one that hasn’t been disturbed by the mainstream viewer in a while: original movie musicals. What sets La La Land apart from these classics and greats is the focus of the casting directors in which talents they favored in the leading roles. In movies such as “Singin’ in the Rain” or An “American in Paris,” musical and dance talent was primary to acting or storyline. In “La La Land,” Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling make the story their own with the emotion they can display in a glance or a turn. This difference places the film in
almost its own genre. Although neither of them have perfect pitch or form, the imperfections in the melody almost make the scene more real.
The movie does make some allusions to the more famous movie musicals, such as when Sebastian swings around a
lamppost in the fashion of Gene Kelly in “Singin’ in the Rain,” or even the entire closing song which is both visually and stylistically similar to that of “An American in Paris,” also starring Gene Kelly.
Based on the success of “La La Land,” it’s possible that a new wave of original movie musicals could be headed our way. However, whether the film is the mark of a new era in movie-making history or just a stroke of luck for musical fanatics across the country, “La La Land” is a must-see before it leaves theaters.