A trip to the theater has always been seen as an escape from reality for me. For 2 hours or more, moviegoers are able to put aside all the outside issues that surround our lives and immerse ourselves onto the narrative on the big screen. In a year that has shown how divided this country truly is, a true escape was needed. Thanks to Damien Chazelle, we have been given that gift. La La Land is that escape; a film that makes the audience feel as they can dance on air as Mia and Sebastian do in the film, and quite frankly makes it rather difficult to leave that theater without a smile on your face.
Unlike other musicals on the big screen in recent years, La La Land is a 100 percent original musical as all the songs and lyrics were created for the purpose of the film. Boy, are we treated to some gems. Filmed in Cinemascope, the film kicks off with the oh so familiar bumper to bumper Los Angeles rush hour traffic. The frustrated drivers decide, as us viewers do when we enter the theater, to not dwell on the current situation. They provide us with a fun song and dance that not only eases their current frustration but also sets up the plot of the film within the first few minutes.
La La Land is a modern day boy-meets-girl tale with early feels of an Old Hollywood musical. What works so well with the film is the story involves two equals in a story about an aspiring actress, Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a jazz-loving musician who dreams of opening a jazz club while refusing to give up on his traditionalist ways. As we are dreamers of a better future, Mia and Sebastian are as well, and it becomes quite simple to connect with both characters. The chemistry between the two is outstanding as every moment, song, and dance feels real. Mia and Sebastian channel their inner Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers from their first song and dance number in Griffith Park to the Griffith Observatory, a backdrop often seen in films like Rebel Without A Cause, where Mia and Sebastian’s hands inch closer and closer to an eventual hand hold, you believe every second of that touching moment.
Not one song and dance number in La La Land feels forced and unnatural. Every song feels in sync, every dance feels needed and placed in a way that feels like its a part of everyday life. None feels more real and heart wrenching than Mia’s make-or-break audition as she is asked to tell a story and does she ever, in the most powerful song in the film: “Audition.” Stone slays and puts the cherry on top on the best performance of her career and confirms that we have a two horse race for the Oscar, with her competing with Natalie Portman for her role in Jackie.
Singin’ in the Rain
Swing Time
From Astaire and Rodger’s Top Hat and Swing Time to the brilliance of Gene Kelly in An American In Paris and quite possibly the greatest musical of all time, Singin’ in the Rain, musicals were once the standard in Hollywood and film for decades. This film is a reminder of the greatness of this genre in film. Modern day films could learn from the originality of Chazelle’s La La Land. In an era where the remake is the norm in Hollywood, the originality of Chazelle’s script and film is one that not only should be admired but used as a blueprint for the future. Musicals are feel good films and if done right will continuously provide the feel good moments, viewers pay their hard-earned money to experience every time they walk into a theater.
A love letter to not only musicals but old Hollywood, La La Land reminds us of the history of film and the importance of not only paying tribute to the likes of Kelly and Astaire but to remember the brilliance of Humphrey Bogart, James Dean, and all the great films and actors of yesteryear.
When discussing the great musicals of all time, La La Land is a film that makes us dreamers remember that anything is possible. Not only can it be added to the list of greatest musicals ever made but to the top of any list as the best film of 2016.
Reel Talk gives La La Land 4 reels
