La La Land is directed by Damien Chazelle and stars Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, John Legend and J.K Simmons. After his acclaimed Oscar nominated (and Oscar winning) breakthrough Whiplash, director Damien Chazelle ups the budget for this ode to the classic Hollywood musical and love story.
La La Land tells the story of Mia (Stone), an aspiring actress who continuously faces rejection at auditions and is failing to achieve her dream. Seb (Gosling) is an aspiring jazz artist who wants to bring new life to a dying art form but is likewise failing in his dream to be recognised. Naturally, the two end up meeting and so begins a bittersweet, 128 minute display of acting, directing and glorious musical numbers. As Mia and Seb hook up and both see a rise in their career fortunes, the conflict and drama starts to kick in and adds emotional weight to the grand story. Chazelle, a drummer, has a natural affinity for directing music and how to use music in scenes and La La Land is a stunning exemplar of this: from the opening continuous take on a highway as jammed cars become the stage for Los Angeles singers, dancers, performers and bikers to fill the screen with vibrant kinetic energy to the song 'Another Day of Sun' whilst later on the catchy 'City of Stars' is sung between Mia and Seb in a candle lit room at a piano- a charming, human way of using songs to convey character and emotion.
Of course, a film like this wouldn't work unless the two stars were likable and believable. Thankfully, Stone and Gosling (their second time on screen together after 2011's Crazy, Stupid, Love) have sizzling chemistry. Gosling, enjoying the equivalent of his own McConnaisance, brings his unparalleled charm and sharp good lucks to juxtapose the character's deep affection for jazz, a bygone music genre which he has to watch die whilst being powerless to renovate it. However, it's Emma Stone's film and she delivers a phenomenal performance. Belting out 'Audition' towards the end is a cathartic release the film has been building towards; failure after failure combined with her adventures with Seb have given her the strength to give that song it all and Stone sells it ridiculously well.
Post Oscar glory, La La Land is still a wonderful classic and its Best Picture snub perhaps is for the better; whilst being cruel and unprofessional, the taking away of the Best Picture crown mirrors the movie's theme perfectly. Everything that you have can be taken away and not everyone may reach the LA dream of Hollywood, but it is the effort that gets there that counts. Chazelle's exploration of success, love and reward is bittersweet- and rightly so. A gem.
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