La La Land

Starring: Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Rosemarie DeWitt, J.K. Simmons, John Legend, Finn Wittrock, Josh Pence, Tom Everett Scott
Directed by: Damien Chazelle
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Musical
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A jazz pianist (Ryan Gosling) and an aspiring actress (Emma Stone) meet and fall in love in Los Angeles.

Review:

Tim: It still feels so weird to me that La La Land didn't win the Academy Award for Best Picture. While I wouldn't have crowned it myself, it was the clear favorite entering the awards, was better than Moonlight (in my opinion) and, as we all saw, was erroneously announced the winner. The whole thing just seems so crazy. It's too bad, because this is a truly great movie, an exceptionally well crafted film. I would have been happy for this film had it won. Still, you can't take anything away from this movie- it won 6 Academy Awards and is easily one of the best films of 2016. I didn't expect for this movie to win my over as much as it did. By the end of the film, I marveled at what director Damien Chazelle created here. This is a great movie in every sense of the word.

It's amazing to think that this is a modern day musical, set in Los Angeles, a beautiful, heartbreaking love story, an inspirational story about never giving up, and is entertaining and enjoyable from start to finish. I'm honestly stunned that Chazelle was able to craft such an incredible movie. Now- I don't mean anything against Chazelle. His Whiplash was one of the best movies of 2014, so the guy has proven he has loads of talent. It's just incredible that he made such a lovable, emotional movie that also happens to be an expertly crafted musical. I just didn't think they made movies like this any more. My hat's off to Chazelle for this incredible film.

I also have to give truckloads of credit to both Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. I cannot describe in words how much I loved both of their performances. I think it helped that they've worked together several times before- they had this visible chemistry that was infectious on screen. I had so much fun watching them together. It's interesting that this movie (which isn't short at 2 hours, 8 minutes) is really all about them. Sure, there's supporting performances, but outside of John Legend, no one really shows up on our radar. All our attention and focus are on Gosling and Stone. Their singing, their dancing, their acting is all top notch. I honestly think fifty years from now, people watch this movie and be impressed with both of them. They truly make this movie. I was really happy Emma Stone won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She absolutely earned it. I feel that Ryan Gosling couldn't turn his nomination for Best Actor into a win, but he got eaten up by the maelstrom that was Casey Affleck's stunning performance in Manchester by the Sea (which I actually thought was a better film). Still, I'm glad they were both recognized for being so amazing.

While I had great fun with this film and the song and dance numbers, it wasn't until the end of the film that I truly recognized how great this film was. It would be easy to dismiss a musical about Hollywood as a lightweight affair. I was stunned when I realized how heartbreakingly beautiful this movie would turn out to be. That scene in the club at the end broke my heart and made me feel a wide range of emotions- it captured something so true about human relationships. It's the end of this film that truly separates it- that makes you realize this isn't just another movie, but a film you'll still be thinking about decades from now. In those scenes, I truly loved this movie.

Obviously, La La Land is an incredible piece of film making. It deservedly won 6 Academy Awards- Stone for Best Actress, Chazelle for Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Original Song ("City of Stars", which is a great song), and Best Production Design. It might not have captured the big one, but that doesn't take anything away from this incredible film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Whiplash, Crazy Stupid Love, Manchester by the Sea, Moonlight