After Whiplash whipped up a frenzy,
writer/director Damien Chazelle could do damn near anything he wanted. Helm a
superhero movie? Probably could have done that. Tackle a big-budget summer
blockbuster or weighty Oscar-bait drama? So many others have followed that
path. But what does he do? He makes La La Land, a full-on
throwback musical. And he absolutely kills it.
Pairing a filmmaker with maybe the best sense of cinematic
rhythm working today with elaborate choreography, old Hollywood style musical
arrangements, and two of the industry’s most charming performers—Emma Stone and
Ryan Gosling—is a stroke of pure, enchanting genius. I seriously didn’t stop
smiling the whole damn time.
Bouncy, up-tempo jazz cuts mesh with maudlin ballads of love,
loss, and longing. Intricately staged dance numbers glide from one scene to the
next. Highly stylized sets mingle with realistic locations. It’s breathless and
romantic and sheer, overabundant joy.
La La Land kicks off in style, with an
epic song-and-dance routine on a traffic-packed Los Angeles freeway, unspooling
in one continuous take. Or at least the illusion of a single shot—Chazelle and
cinematographer Linus Sandgren (American Hustle) hide cuts
like Birdman, Rope, and other similar
aesthetic endeavors.
The subsequent story follows the whirlwind romance between
aspiring actress, Mia (Emma Stone), and passionate jazz pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), broken down into chapters by season. Chazelle lifts the predictable
plot straight from any number of films, but the overwhelming charm, surrounding
bliss, and extravagant staging elevate it above schmaltzy inspirations.
La La Land is admittedly light and
fluffy—even when the relationship hits rough patches, they’re easily
anticipated rough patches, and Sebastian screws up the way the romantic male
lead always screws up. But while it follows a definite pattern, it never
unfolds exactly as expected. Chazelle plays with continuity, themes of fantasy
versus reality, and enough other elements to keep things from ever getting too
stale and familiar, lampooning the film and music industries at every
opportunity. Thus far into his career, he’s never taken the easily anticipated
path, and I can’t wait to see where he goes next.
Mia and Sebastian are anachronisms. Set in the modern day,
they stand out as nods to a bygone era. Mia adores old Hollywood and Sebastian
is an ardent purist, and both romanticize the past at the expense of the
present. Even their appearance and style of dress sets them apart. Sebastian is
all sharp suits and swagger lifted from a smoke-filled 1920s jazz club, while
Mia exudes an aura of glamour and grace.
Watching Stone and Gosling flirt and soft-shoe and even soar
through the night sky, is pure movie magic. To be fair, I’d watch them sit on a
couch and watch another movie, that’s how much chemistry and charisma they have
(this actually happens in the film). And while Gosling is fantastic as the
single-minded, hard-headed stickler for authenticity, Stone hijacks every
frame. Watching her play an actress playing a role in an audition as casting
agents text and talk and order sandwiches is phenomenal, and her minor facial
movements and subtle affectations offer a master class in craft.
Every situation in La La Land is achingly
romantic. It’s always near sunset. The lighting is always perfect. And the ideal
song always waits just a moment away. It may be contrived and inconsequential,
but La La Land is a mesmerizing, wistful, dreamy delight. [Grade:
A]
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