[yasr_overall_rating]
A jazz pianist falls for an aspiring actress in Los Angeles.
Director Damien Chazelle is a thirty-something Harvard Trained filmmaker and screenwriter who seems to be coming well into his own with his third film. Focusing on what Hollywood dreams are made of, he has already met success as the recipient of Best Director for this film at the Critics’ Choice Awards. While this honor is certainly a testament to the effect of this feel-good movie on theater goers, it also has many California dreamers feeling a little more justified in doing whatever it takes to pursue happiness.
Pairing Ryan Gosling (Sebastian) with Emma Stone (Mia) seems purely natural as these two beautiful people who are immensely talented, have probably themselves lived so much of the life in the roles they are playing that it had to be relatively easy to take on these personas with little or no script. The additional casting of John Legend (Keith) as a jazz musician made it all the more interesting. What is key in the development of the plot is that each of the characters plays a role that is total self-serving, but at the same time, they are understanding of the concessions that must be made to ensure that they are a good fit for one another. The diverse music in this story lends itself to the level of irony that makes the entire film interesting as both Mia and Sebastian are forced to dance to someone else’s music their entire lives, and even though they realize it, they compete internally and are forced to reconcile with the inner voice that has them in and out of each other’s lives like an unending tango.
While the storyline seems to be a different version of the same thing that happens when there is a conflict between what we want and what we know we can live with, the promise of a lifelong love affair with hope and desire, energizes the audience to believe that all things are possible. The romance and intimacy between the characters is just as real as the desire to be true to themselves regardless of the sacrifice. While “La La Land” seems to go off the deep end at times, the focus is never lost, and the limitless boundaries of bliss and chaos keep you on your toes. This makes it real, interesting and enough to get you through the emotion-filled holidays. Don’t miss it!
In theaters Friday, December 16th
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The story is as thin as it is simple-minded and totally banal. The „relationship“ between Seb and Mia is actually as hollow as the entire plot of the film. She runs away after one bad word from him and never answers the phone thereafter. Just the way grown-ups who are supposedly in love with each other ought to handle such matters. When their career paths are going to send them to different parts of the world, they do not even try to find a compromise. Instead they blabber „,let’s see“. They add an absurd-superficial and totally unconvincing mutual „I will love you forever“. And that’s it. Oh, really? Can’t be ANY love involved when one doesn’t even attempt to find a compromise (of course sometimes, there is none possible) and instead just gives up. Seb dreams up such a path in the final sequences of the movie but it is presented as his sorry vision only. Why didn’t he even try to pursue it?
Another example for the hollowness of the story and the holes in it: The jobless pianist suddenly gets a highly paid contract out of the blue on a silver platter. Sure. that’s the way it is, right? And Mia later on lands a similar jackpot. Of course. Failure happens only to the very few who didn’t try hard enough in Hollywood, who didn’t want it badly enough. La La Land.
And even though they were handed these difficult parts of their lives on a silver platter, the two cannot get anything else really done? That is the director’s inspiring vision he wants to convey? And I read critic after critic falling by the wayside for how romantic, awesome, inspiring… Oh yeah?!
The movie would likely be a total flop without the two main actors – and without the giant hype and marketing campaign that has obviously been unleashed. The soundtrack is largely uninspiring. The dancing and singing of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling is OK, but far from exceptional or ground-braking. I have no idea how anyone could spot magic or authenticity in this highly superficial, dull movie. The only really authentic about this over-hyped piece is, that it is a true reflection of today’s Hollywood: self-absorbed, totally superficial, full of hypocrisy and unable to even consider any other view than that of their own echo chamber. There are, obviously and luckily, some notable exceptions to this among the myriad Hollywood stars and starlets, but they are far and few between. It says a lot about the Golden Globes that they have been awarded in bulk to this movie. Maybe the competition was even worse?
If this film gets Oscars as many predict, it will simply be fitting. After all, a Hollywood in their castles and mansions being totally detached from reality, from the life of ordinary people in this world, from ground realities, they will likely love what they see here in that rose-coloured mirror. Even though they are just staring at and into their own echo chamber. This movie is Hollywood-narcissism at its worst.
Oh, and as a side-note: these are the same people who mock Trump for his narcissism? Go figure!