Today’s quick review: La La Land. Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress in a slump, finds a kindred spirit in Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a jazz pianist with dreams of opening a nightclub. As their antagonism gives way to romance, the couple must decide whether their dreams are worth following and what they are willing to sacrifice to make them come true.
La La Land is a romantic musical about a pair of artists in Los Angeles who are struggling to follow their dreams. La La Land is an ode to the musicals of yesteryear, with an upbeat jazz soundtrack, stylish costumes, and frequent bursts of tap dancing. The cinematography lends itself well to the energetic tone, with long, sweeping camera shots and subtle musical refrains to keep the scenes moving at a healthy clip.
Mia and Sebastian are the heart of the movie, and their relationship is interesting enough to drive the character-centric plot. Mia is a smart woman who followed her dreams to Hollywood, only to come up short in audition after audition. Sebastian is a pianist whose passion for jazz keeps him from holding down a steady job. What they have in common is their nostalgia for bygone eras: Mia for the Golden Age of Hollywood, and Sebastian for the jazz greats of old.
Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling make an effective lead couple. Emma Stone’s Mia strikes a delicate balance, coming off as witty but not acerbic, feminine but not moonstruck. Ryan Gosling’s Sebastian makes a rude first impression, but his bluntness gives way to sincerity as his passion for jazz shines through. Their scenes together run the gamut from funny to sweet to romantic, walking a tasteful line between affection and schmaltz.
The main draw of La La Land is its catchy swing soundtrack. The song list couples up-tempo dance numbers with a few slower, more wistful songs, giving the sound a nice emotional range while keeping the tone consistent. The quality of music remains high throughout, with one or two standouts backed by a solid stable of supporting songs. The songs shift naturally between the background and the foreground, subtly tying the ordinary scenes to the musical numbers.
La La Land backs its impressive soundtrack with equally impressive dancing. The dances vary from tap to ballroom and back, but even the most sentimental songs retain a sense of forward motion. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are talented dancers, and if they fail to upstage the Hollywood greats, they do manage to hold their own. The other dancers give the dances a sense of scale when needed, but fade gracefully into the background when the spotlight is on the stars.
At first the modern setting dates the film badly: Priuses, cell phones, and pop culture references form an odd dissonance with tap dancing and swing music. But soon the film establishes itself and the details of setting are swept away in favor of romance and song. Once it gets rolling, La La Land does an excellent job of balancing the style, energy, and optimism of classic musicals with modern pacing, characters, and production values.
Watch La La Land if you are in the mood for a pleasant musical that merges classical style with modern storytelling. While not yet a classic itself, La La Land revives some of the best aspects of the musical genre. Those who dislike musicals may still get something out of its strong writing and characters, but most viewers who dislike the genre are better off skipping it altogether.
8.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it an 8.0 for an excellent soundtrack, a worthwhile romance, and polished execution; your score will be higher or lower depending on your taste in musicals.