La La Land
by Damien Chazelle
Black Label Media
If you love old Hollywood musicals, or traditional jazz, or both, you are the intended audience of La La Land, a love letter Old Hollywood musicals, jazz, and a retro-postcard version of Los Angeles (not the real version of LA, because that doesn’t come in primary colors).
It’s the story of Mia (Emma Stone), a struggling actress trying to get her big break, and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a struggling jazz pianist trying to single-handedly save jazz music for people who just don’t appreciate it. He’s a jazz bro. He’s kind of a dick.
Anyway, they meet a couple of times, they clash, they have truly adorable song and dance number about how they are TOTALLY not falling in love, not at all, then they do fall in love, because of course they do. Trials and tribulations happen, and some more songs, and then the ending, which… we will get to. (under spoilers tags, because I’m not a monster.)
Emma Stone is an excellent actress. Remember the times I called Alicia Vikander a “jaw” actress? Stone is a “mouth” actress. She conveys volumes with how she tightens her mouth. I’m sure that pages have been written about how expressive her eyes are (and they are, they’re huge) but I think she does more with her mouth. She’s also an excellent dancer and reasonably good singer (she was in Cabaret on Broadway for a few months) but a little tepid for my taste.
Ryan Gosling is also excellent- I’ve always liked him, and he’s got that Mickey Mouse Club background to fall back on in terms of song and dance. I’ve heard that he upped his piano playing game so he could play on screen without weird and awkward covering. He’s also great at comedy, and should do more. (He also had the single sweetest moment when he won the Golden Globe for Best Actor, where he thanked his wife, Eva Mendes, for all the emotional labor she put in taking care of the family while he was making the movie.) He and Stone also work really well together-this is their third movie pairing and the chemistry is great.
One of the weirdnesses of this movie is that it’s about a white guy who wants to save jazz, a music form that was invented by Black people, and keep it “pure.” And there’s a scene when John Legend (playing another jazz musician) calls him out for not wanting jazz to evolve. And while I can see both sides of this argument, it’s not clear where the movie comes down on it. I can kind of say, well, it didn’t NOT say that there wasn’t room in the world for both traditional and modern jazz. It’s just a weird tone in this plot about jazz bros. (pun intended.)
The plot about Mia trying to make her career happen is in honor of everyone who comes to LA to make a dream come true. There’s a lot of realism in the surreality of the audition scenes, and a lot of the situations come from things that Stone and Gosling experienced in their early careers (I rather imagine that they don’t have to go to cattle call auditions anymore). Mia also makes a couple of really questionable decisions which I can understand but… girl, you didn’t think this through.
Also the opening shot is a technical wonder- a song and dance number on the ramp that connects the 105 freeway to the 110, and can be up to 100 feet in the air. It’s a complex, single(ish) shot of hundreds of dancers and singers on this freeway ramp. This EW article has an excellent breakdown of the inspirations and complexities of the shot. I’m not gonna lie, I was grinning madly when that song ended.
It’s very candy-colored, and very bright version of LA. There isn’t a lot of reality on display here. It’s pretty white (with the occasional person of color in the background and also John Legend). It’s a fantasy version of LA where the biggest problem is that all the keys in the valet stand are for identical Priuses (Prii?).
Emma Stone’s costumes are adorable retro dresses, with saddle shoes aplenty. Mandy Moore (not that Mandy Moore) of So You Think You Can Dance fame was the choreographer, and her grasp of classic Hollywood musical dance styling is on point. There’s some striking visuals (the number where Mia and her roommates dance down the street on their way to a party, for one) and cute songs, and if any of you do anything with community or student theater, expect many MANY renditions of “Audition” to show up during musical auditions.
I love movies, and I love me a homage, and I was pretty much on board with La La Land up until the last five minutes.
La La Land just got nominated for 14 Academy Awards, and that’s to be expected. There’s nothing movie people like more that rewarding a movie that talks about how awesome movie people are. And it’s a good movie with a lot of skill that went into making it. But I will be MOST upset if either of the songs deny Lin-Manuel Miranda his EGOT for his work on Moana.
La La Land is in theaters now and you can find tickets (US) at Fandango and Moviefone.
I pretty much agree with your entire review. I didn’t like the ending montage either. I can’t really go into more detail because spoilers, but basically I loved it up until the last few minutes, and then grrr!
I absolutely loved LA LA LAND (review up at http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2017/01/la-la-land.html ) — and that included the ending montage. It is realistic that the people following different dreams in different parts of the world would drift apart, but suddenly seeing “the one who got away” again could certainly result in a rush of emotions, as well as imagining what might have been. It worked for me.
Hm. I was disappointed. The casting & acting are great, the music’s great, they managed to make LA pretty, there are some amazing scenes (Mia’s audition) but… I guess for me it was a bunch of great parts that just didn’t add up to a satisfying whole & I can’t quite explain why. It just felt thin.
Thanks for the spoiler about the ending (really) – I think if I hadn’t known that I’d be thoroughly p__d off by the whole film afterwards. Now I can go and watch it and be clear-eyed about it.
I’m also in the slightly disappointed category. I loved the music and the cinematography/art direction/costumes, but I came out of the theater thinking about how much better it could have been with different leads who can really sing and dance. Gosling and Stone are good actors, but they’re both just ok at the main things that make a musical a musical.
I disliked this movie so much! I’m not sure if by the time I saw it I had just heard how good it was too many times or if, as my friends say “I have unrealistic expectations ” because I’m a theatre critic. Either way I will gladly never see this movie again. But I am with you about being upset if Lin-Manuel doesn’t get the EGOT!
This is the best review of a movie that I have ever read. Also? Very glad you intended the jazz pun. Puns should always be intended.
I was on the fence about seeing this, and I think I’m veering toward no. I love musicals, I love the cast, but dammit. I NEED a HEA.
Thank you for reviewing! I haven’t seen it yet, but friends seem to love and hate it in equal measure. I find the “white guy wants to save jazz” concept pretty off-putting. I wonder if you have seen this article critiquing the racial dimensions of the movie’s “retro-postcard version of Los Angeles” ?
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/01/the-unbearable-whiteness-of-la-la-land.html
I loved “La La Land,” and the ending montage is actually one of the reasons why. The central relationship is – throughout – a realistic blend of attraction and chemistry and manipulation and conflict. To wrap that up in a 1930s-style everything-is-perfect HEA would have felt dishonest to me. The key characters are not 100% charmers, they are not 100% winners, there’s a lot of realism in how their creative careers are handled, and to give them both a perfect arc would (again, to me) have felt dishonest.
I also thought the staging of the musical numbers, + the unpolished quality of Stone & Gosling’s singing and dancing, made the numbers a lot less interruptive than if the numbers had been all flawless. The REALLY unrealistic thing is that people walk down empty streets all the time in this movie. Now that is just crazy. 🙂
HERE BE SPOILERS to me, the closing montage underlined the most important points of the movie: that sometimes a dream deferred means a dream changed, and that sometimes, you have to give something up in order to get what you want. Mia gets her big break and her starring career. Sebastian gets his traditional jazz club. But he had to give up a few years to touring with a band whose music he barely tolerated, and she had to give up being with him.
Real people who have parted as friends don’t often say “I will never love again.” They meet new people and they fall in love, and – if they are these people, at least – when they see The One Who Got Away, they think “I really loved that person. I’m so happy I was with him/her for a while. And I’m so happy s/he got what s/he wanted.” That is what I got from the closing; and given that they accomplished it without a word of dialogue, I think it was perfect.
For those who like the idea of the Hollywood showbiz musical but need a HEA right now, I strongly recommend “Singin’ in the Rain.” 🙂
If he wins, LMM would have a MacPEGOT and I believe he would be the first to do so.
@RevMelinda I agree with you. I’ll have to check out that Paste article.
I couldn’t stand it. Didn’t even manage half an hour. I was underwhelmed by the music, choreography etc and have had enough of Hollywood’s obsession with itself. There are other stories I want to see.
I loved it. It made me remember why I like going to the movies in the first place. The montage was a bit self-indulgent, but no more than scenes in other highly acclaimed movies. I kept thinking of Singin’ in the Rain and Jacques Demy’s movies while I was watching. Afterwards, I read that was intentional.
I NEEDED A HEA.
Thank you for this review.
I thought the movie was okay…parts of its underwhelming while others were great.
And then the ending ruined the entire thing for me.
I saw this when it first came out and was so excited because I love musicals. Well, I was just so disappointed. First, it’s not a musical. It’s a movie with musical numbers shoved in. In a musical, the songs advance the plot. You could have taken all the sings out of the movie and it wouldn’t have mattered to the plot. Secondly, it was just a boring story. Yeah, the ending was disappointing but everything up to it was as well. I saw this with four friends and two fell asleep during the movie…this is not something that normally happens and we see a lot of movies. The only two things I liked were the opening sequence (which had nothing to do with the story but was fun) and the cinematography (it is beautifully shot).
I’ve seen so many better movies last year so I’m pissed that this will win a bunch of awards because Hollywood loves movies about Hollywood and acting (remember when Birdman won…). If you want to see a good movie go see Arrival or Manchester by the Sea or Rogue One or Hidden Figures… all so much better than LaLaLand..
This
Here’s somebody else rooting for the EGZoT and Moana! Just loved it.
I was VERY disappointed in LaLa Land. After that first terrific dance number on the freeway ramp, and that sweet number with the two of them dancing in the street (the scene that’s featured on the poster), there wasn’t much to look at or listen to. I thought all the songs and dance numbers were forgettable. The movie was too long by 30 minutes, the ending was awful, and the whole thing was just drab throughout. They want to make a “realistic” movie about Hollywood (as if there were such a thing)? Go see “All About Eve” instead. It’s sharper, it’s funnier, and it’s truer.
I love, love, love musicals. But I have to be honest–I have developed an intense dislike of this movie without having seen it. The whole premise–with the whitewashing–is so off-putting to me. No thanks.
The opening musical scene was fantastic, but it didn’t make up for some of the other less appealing parts of this movie…the camera spent way, way, way too much time focusing on Emma Stone in many of the scenes…also, I felt like a lot of the scenes were rushed and incomplete…I didn’t feel the chemistry between Stone and Gosling and their relationship was choppily put together…but the ending? Meh…I was disappointed…who wants to see a musical without a HEA??!!
@chacha1
**SPOILERS** I didn’t like the message that you can have your dream career OR the love of your life but not both. (At least that’s the way I interpreted it.) I also didn’t get the same feeling of ‘happy memories’ from the closing, more ‘Seb was the true love of my life, and here I am stuck with the consolation prize’. Your interpretation might be what the movie was aiming to say, but that’s not how I saw it and I was disappointed with the messages/feelings of the ending as I understood them.
I totally agree with Cathy! I am tired of musicals with actors who are not trained as singers and dancers! To hear them brag how they trained for 6 weeks is not the same as someone who has trained for 5 years. It does show.
I loved this movie and the last five minutes clinched it for me.
Loved this movie so much. But I think you have to love musicals and be ok to suspend your disbelief. The last 5 minutes was the gutsiest move made in a movie musical in a long time. The ending reminded me of Casablanca. Another romantic movie that doesn’t end HEA. I think both Mia and Seb got their HEA, just not with each other. Mia adored Ingrid Bergman. Look at her room! Opening number was suberb. My son had some good criticisms. He thought the music should have stayed between Mia and Seb so only they would hear it because of their love. Interesting, he is a music major.
It sounds like total rip-off of “New York, New York”, 1978 with Robert De Niro and Liza Minelli which has 1940’s New York (nach)as colorful background. She ends up a star and he winds up with his own jazz club (with a name she suggests) The unfortunate differences is they get married and he beats her. But all in all it sounds the same. When came critics said it was based on the life of Doris Day, if know who she was.
I thought this movie was boring, and had I not been with other who were enjoying it, I would have left. That was disappointing because I love musicals and was looking forward to seeing it.
I did NOT see this movie, yet. Nor did I read the spoilers.
However, IMO, a lot of the really great movies in history have not had a/the HEA.
I did like this movie, but I was a bit underwhelmed, especially after all the critics who proclaimed it the best movie of the year. I agree with Hazel that there’s a lot of navel-gazing going on in Hollywood, and I’m not certain why we should all be fascinated when Hollywood writes a love letter to itself. It was a decent experience, and some of the numbers were really nice to watch, but I found it nowhere near as exceptional as some critics advertised it.
I approached this movie with as few expectations as I could (because the hype for this film is rather huge and obnoxious.) My feelings about Stone and Gosling are on the neutral side (though I sorta expected more out of Ryan given his Disney background.)
In the end, I didn’t hate it per se, but it wasn’t as fantastic as Moonlight, Fences, Hidden Figures or, heck, even Moana. The ridiculously white L.A., the “white dude is trying to save jazz” story line, and the tremendously fail-y ending basically tried my last nerve.
If I were to give it a grade, it’d be a C-/D+
As someone who was raised on a steady diet of MGM musicals & Gene Kelly dance numbers, this movie was a nice drive through nostalgia country. While the songs didn’t make a strong impact, as a dancer myself, the choreography struck me far more. I guess I’m in the minority as someone who actually liked the montage/dream-sequence. It reminded me very strongly of the ending of American in Paris. But I attribute that to the many hours clocked watching Gene Kelly interpretively dance his way through feelings & wish fulfillment. I also really enjoyed the fact that the leads finished the movie the way they did. I found it authentic & far more poignant than if it had been all hearts and flowers.
Ultimately I’m reminded of a line from Crimson Peaks “it’s a love story with a ghost.” In that same vein, while some see LA LA Land as a musical, to me it felt more like a drama with some musical numbers.
Great review. I too thought the film was five minutes too long, and the ending left the viewer kind of hanging, but…the choice of off-ramps was a nice bookend to the opening scene, and it reminded me (I’m that old) of the Olivia Newton-John song “I Honestly Love You.”
I might have raved about La-La Land if I hadn’t seen it two days after Hidden Figures, which is a genuinely great film (with a nice little romance arc in it).
I’m in the ‘disappointed’ camp. I didn’t hate the movie, but I far from loved it. I don’t understand all the award love, but what are you gonna do? It’s not the first time I’ve disagreed with the powers that be, in regards to these things, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.
Hated it. I’m a huge musical buff and have even written musicals. Girl please. My hubby and I left in the middle.
I could not even with the lack of knowledge or caring about jazz. Just one example is Gosling’s character getting all petulant about being forced to play Christmas carols. Anyone with a passing knowledge or love of jazz knows there are a ton of jazz Christmas carol covers – I mean Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson… please. I felt the movie was Hollywood up its own a$$ in pretty much every scene, and the CGI in the Griffith Observatory number was some of the worst ever. It didn’t seem like they were trying.
Disappointing.
Count me as another who loved it up until the end. If I’d had any advance warning, I might have been okay with it–they were exactly what each other needed AT THAT TIME–but I’d sung at a funeral earlier that day, and going to the movies that night was supposed to get me back to my happy place. (On the other hand, I told my daughter afterward that I want “Audition” sung at my funeral. As a novelist, I can relate to the whole “Here’s to the fools who dream” thing.)
I’m sorry to disagree with the general idea here. I went to see this movie yesterday and I did not like it too much. That’s why I came here to read something about the people that did like it. And I still don’t get it.
Yes, the actress was great. Emma Stone is adorable, and she tries to imbue some dramatic intensity to a role that offers very little. The production design in general is visually very attractive. And -that’s all, folks!
The music was bland (I’ve seen Disney movies with more soulful music). Ryan Gosling has always struck me as dull and one of those overrated actors. I have not seen less sexual chemistry between two protagonists since Padme and Anakin in the infamous episodes II and III of Star Wars. The plot, very trite (Really? Do not sell yourself, follow your dreams and they will come true? Really, in this time and age?)
But worst of all, what is -what I think- the kiss of death for a musical – the singing & dancing numbers were not well integrated with the story. They should blend with the plot and they didn’t.
Yes, I love Hollywood musicals. Moreover, I think it’s one of three genuinely American genres in which the Hollywood industry stands out, along with Western and gangster films. It’s nearly impossible to do this kind of movie in Europe or Asia and not becaming laughingstock. An outstanding American genre, indeed. Singin’ in the Rain is one of my favourite movies ever. But I also loved less ambitious projects like Mamma Mia! or even Flashdance back in the 80s. So I think it’s not a thing of high brow cinema against commercial movies.
It’s just – this movie didn’t work for me, and I’ve tried to explain the reasons.
BTW I forgot to add that one of the things I liked about the movie was its ending.
In order to have good results in the box office, movie makers tend to the same trite happy ending. It’s nice to see they tried something different here. It’s the same thought I had when I saw Rogue One, that they were brave.
And about the last and long dancing scene? Well, it reminded me of some oniric scenes at the end of -at least- a couple of Gene Kelly’s movies. But it didn’t have any of his magic or creativity. So the problem was not to put such a long scene in the last minutes but to make it so boring.
Liked it and was glad I saw it, but did not love it the way I expected based on the reviews. The cinematography and costuming was amazing, and I loved some of the dance numbers (Esp the opener). I didn’t mind the ending dance number–reminded me a lot of a similar sequence in Singing in the Rain, which was the homage I was guessing–or the non-HEA for the leads–I actually liked the idea that there’s not just one happy ending. (I was spoiled for that, and if I had been expecting the HEA, I might have been more disappointed.) The scene where the leads meet at a party and walk around looking for her car after was charming and I loved their chemistry during it. What really irritated me was how precious both of them were about their “arts” (especially Mr. JazzBro). The John Legend performance also really emphasized that both Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are adequate singers and dancers, but nothing like someone who does it for a career. I sort of dipped in and out of it during an evening (watch 20 minutes, wander off to do something, watch another few scenes) so am glad to hear I was not the only one who found it a bit boring.