La La Land

Maybe it’s because hearsay and marketing has been quite mum on promotion, or maybe it’s the sweet and sneaky snapshots of Gosling and Stone in a nostalgic Golden Age pose; either way interest and eagerness for La La Land is at an astounding level. I can say from first-hand experience that I have not seen a cinema theatre so packed, not even when I went and saw Force Awakens! 

From what we do get to hear about the movie, it’s already won a bunch of awards and Oscar buzz is swarming around it. Having now seen the film, I can totally understand the hype, but I have to say that I wasn’t as admiring and impressed with it as everyone else is. 

A modern musical done in obvious homage to cinema’s Golden Age, La La Land tells the story of barrister/struggling actress Mia (Emma Stone) and struggling jazz musician Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) who continually meet each other and fall in love. So alike and supportive of each other’s creative aspirations, the two have a wonderful romance until reality gets in the way. 

I can’t help but think back to when The Artist (2011) was the darling of the Oscar scene because ‘wow, a return to black and white silent films!’ Whilst the film was undeniably beautiful and refreshingly different, did it deserve all the hype? I didn’t think so. 

And I feel similarly about this film. For a start, it’s a self-referential film set in contemporary California deliberately shot to look and feel like a romantic ‘50s musical, but telling a modern story with real characters that have real problems and real relationships. The opening number sets this big and bold Mamma Mia-esque tone that, you actually realise midway through, is just not right. And this slightly off note continues throughout the entire movie. 

I will be the first admit that there are quite a few scenes where the romanticism of Golden Age cinema and nostalgia of the genre shines through: namely Gosling and Stone’s tap dance sequences, but because the story is so realistic and contemporary, the traditional modes of direction, shot composition, and execution that are used just sometimes fall that little bit short of working properly. Considering that the film aims to set up this really romantic tale made more romantic by it being a musical and shot like it would have been in the ‘50s, in actuality it’s this aesthetic that makes the story as sad as it is. A generic promise is reneged upon and by the end of the movie you can’t help but feel a little unsatisfied. 

Then we have the performances of Gosling and Stone. They’ve played the cute couple before and both of them prove here that they are triple threats, but is this the best thing I’ve seen them do? Not really. I can’t help but like Gosling more for his performance in The Nice Guys (2016) and Stone, although delivering a performance that was identifiable and down to earth, just hasn’t got the sass and presence that she’s had in other films. On the musical front, the two of them are fine. No Gene Kelly or Debbie Reynolds to any degree, but musically competent and they do good jobs of the songs given them. 

If there is Oscar buzz around this film, then it has to, simply has to be for the music composed by Justin Hurwitz. With a very pretty refrain recurring throughout the instrumental score plus original songs that slip into the minor key; adding to, but in a good way, the film’s aforementioned ‘off note’, the music is lovely: jazzy and romantic. 

There is a lot going on in this movie: it’s definitely not just some one-trick homage to an earlier decade in cinema. There is depth, intricacies, and definitely film and genre-appreciation going on. Aesthetically, it does a fine (not brilliant) job of recapturing Golden Age romanticism and, by doing so, commenting on contemporary society’s treatments of the past, the ‘lasting’ influence of an era (be it musically or cinematically), and telling an original and relatable story. 

However, there is something, something that doesn’t sit right. Perhaps it’s in trying to pay homage to ‘50s romanticism while eradicating the nostalgia of the genre by telling a thoroughly modern love story where this unsettled feeling stems. 

Then again, this could all just be me not going along with the crowds. Regardless of my thoughts, La La Land is the film that has everyone talking and curious this Awards season. 

Starring: Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Terry Walters, Thom Shelton, Callie Hernandez, Jessica Rothe, Sonoya Mizuno, Cinda Adams, Rosemarie DeWitt, Claudine Claudio, Jason Fuchs, Olivia Hamilton, Finn Wittrock, John Legend, and J. K. Simmons 

Rating: PG