Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone sing their way to the top charts
Allan Sainz
Staff writer
Damien Chazelle’s musical film, “La La Land,” has been sweeping box offices all over America ever since its release on December 9, 2016. Making its way to the top ten in almost every chart and grossing with a total of $133.9 million, “La La Land” has found its way into every musical lover’s heart.
The film begins with introducing the main characters separately and at different times. Mia, played by Emma Stone, is introduced first and Seb, played by Ryan Gosling, is introduced later.
Seb is a passionate jazz pianist who is struggling to defend his favorite music from extinction and terribly wants to preserve a jazz club with a rich history. Mia is a mediocre, aspiring actress who experiences dull acting auditions and works at a frustratingly depressing coffee shop on the Warner Brothers set.
“La La Land” has definitely gained the praise it deserves, winning seven Golden Globe awards this year. Even for those who enjoy alternate genres of movies such as, action and thrillers, like myself, the film still finds a way to capture your attention. Chazelle captures the amazing colors of such musicals as “Singing in The Rain” and “The Sound of Music,” and pours it into a modern Los Angeles setting to shed light on “mainstream” sentiments that this generation can relate to.
The choice of colors within the background and landscape throughout the film are consistent and utterly beautiful; the choice of dark blues and purples really brings each scene together and contrasts with the colors of Emma Stone’s dress and Ryan Gosling’s suit.
In the end, both characters find themselves trapped in a love story. The film itself is an exploration of the world of Hollywood and the aspiring artist who tries to make it big. “La La Land” comedically sprinkles trends that are present within Hollywood into the film, such as everyone driving a prius. The film also pokes fun at the pretentiousness of the acting world.
Even though I thought this film was great, I felt like the ending was drawn out and dull. Even though it did feel finished in the end, it could have ended better with more exciting scenes.
Both actors did an amazing job at conveying emotion throughout the film. Each scene felt very fluid and flowed nicely. The dialogue within the film was also phenomenal as well as the dancing and singing during the musical numbers.
Another thing that really struck me while watching the movie was how catchy all of the songs were. I still embarrassingly catch myself humming “Another Day of Sun” and “City of Stars,” I never thought I would be so in love with a musical before.
Overall the film introduced a new type of musical—one that directly relates to this new and upcoming generation. “La La Land” truly sets itself up to compare to other classical and amazing contemporary musicals.
Rate: 9/10
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