★★★★★
The term “great” was criminally underused in the film industry over the past year. Captain America: Civil War wasn’t brilliant, it was great. 10 Cloverfield Lane wasn’t a masterpiece, but it was great. While great is a considerably positive term, it’s not the strongest compliment – it leaves room for imperfections.
La La Land isn’t a great film – it’s incredible, spectacular, flawless.
Hollywood has always struggled to recreate the magic of the musical. There’s an element of charm to Gene Kelly dancing around in the rain or Julie Andrews floating through the mountains of Salzburg that’s tough to replicate. Not only does La La Land succeed in producing that musical magic, it goes above and beyond to provide a real story sprinkled with Golden Age optimism.
After previous success with Whiplash (one of the highlights of 2014), expectations are somewhat high for Damien Chazelle. Whiplash’s direction was a hit, but can he really blow us away again? After all, it was only his second feature film.
Unsurprisingly, he can still blow us away. It’s clear now that Chazelle really understands modern cinema. As was the case with Whiplash, not a single moment is misjudged. Chazelle’s direction is handled with fluidity and care throughout – not a single shot misplaced, not one set piece lost in the moment of excitement. La La Land is a story that flows with perfection.
At the forefront of the show, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone’s chemistry shines as brightly as ever. The duets, the romance, the dancing, it all feels so right. There’s an element of seemingly unrealistic optimism but that’s idea of La La Land and timeless musicals – the rejection of Modern Cinema realism for the attempt to chase the age-old American Dream, regardless of how many times it wants to chew you up and spit you out. Unfortunately, Hollywood isn’t as fanciful or dreamlike as it seems, the irony of the film’s name. Gosling and Stone perfectly embody the charm and optimism of Gene Kelly and Julie Andrews.
At the heart of any musical, you’ll find the musical numbers themselves. While not every song betters the predecessor, each one captures the moment of the scene to perfection. Produced by Chazelle-favourite, Justin Hurwitz, there’s a similar theme replicated in each track with different effect. At the characters’ highest moments – a fast and upbeat orchestrated performance, and at their lowest – a slow but steady melody. It’s a common musical effect, but it’s handled with perfection and deserves praise. There are moments of pure magic and beauty in the soundtrack that will stay with you long after the film ends.
There are some truly wonderful moments in the musical set pieces, with the standout performance coming from Gosling and Stone’s duet to “A Lovely Night”. A dance routine lovingly crafted to capture the vibes of Singing in the Rain – random periods of bliss, the characters are truly in La La Land in this time. There’s a clever back-and-forth between the lyrics and the scene itself, whilst the song and characters try to reject the moment, our stars can’t help but be caught up in the atmosphere of the setting.
La La Land is in love with Golden Age Hollywood. The idea of not letting jazz die brought about by Gosling’s Sebastian consistently arises throughout, a clear metaphor for the classics of cinema. The story is tender and handled lovingly, working well as a homage to classic Hollywood.
It can be challenging to recreate the feeling of Hollywood’s classics, working under assumption. The 21st Century seems to be the age of the new musical – High School Musical, Pitch Perfect, Hairspray. They’re indeed new and certainly interesting, but they’ll never be timeless, they’ll never be able to compete with The Sound of Music, Singin’ in the Rain, or The Wizard of Oz. However, Damien Chazelle has crafted something that can be timeless and deserves recognition.
La La Land isn’t your standard 21st Century Musical, it’s a love letter to those that have given up on their dreams, it’s a reminder that the success story is still well and truly real.