After breaking the record for the most Golden Globe wins ever, “La La Land” is expected to perform similarly at the upcoming Academy Awards at the end of February. The film follows Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) as they cross paths while following their dreams in the city of Los Angeles. Stone plays an aspiring actress, while Gosling’s character is a talented pianist with hopes of opening his own jazz club.
What makes this film so unique and captivating to audiences is how it comes off as feeling very real, yet magical. “La La Land” has received criticism for its choices of actors, but using big names is what brought so much success to the film and the choice is proven to be a good one with the on-screen chemistry between Stone and Gosling. The remarks shared, the arguments, the sweet moments, and the feelings between the two characters become apparent to viewers. In truth, the vocals and dancing are only average. It isn’t to be compared with musicals on Broadway in this sense, but the “average” portion of this emphasizes the “real feel.” The film is able to bring to life the feeling of falling in love in a way; the feeling of wanting to break out into song or dance, or being so elated you could fly.
It brings a new light – a colorful, sweet and aesthetically pleasing light – to the city of LA. The opening scene shows an incredibly inconvenient day of an LA traffic jam with parked cars down the ramp connecting two of LA’s freeways. Drivers leave their cars to dance and sing about their beloved city and how it fits into following all their individual hopes and dreams. Outfits of bright primary colors with the background of a sunny blue sky and a rainbow of cars turned to dancefloors sets the tone for the rest of the film.
“La La Land” follows Mia and Sebastien as they see some of the big sites of LA, including the Warner Bros. backlot and the Griffith Observatory, where the couple share a magical night of love and dance. It also features some lesser known but still fantastic places to see, such as Hermosa Beach Pier and the Lighthouse Café, where Sebastien introduces Mia to a newfound love of jazz music.
What pulls the entire film together is the final scene. Director Damien Chazelle shows a heart wrenching alternate life sequence displaying what could have been for the couple if a different path had been taken. Everything combined along with an incredibly catchy and uplifting soundtrack has made “La La Land” easily a personal favorite for years to come.
I’ve gone to see “La La Land” twice in theaters. I am a mixture of picky and college-student-broke; it’s already hard enough to get me to go to the movie theater and actually pay to see something that I may not love and can probably find online within a few weeks. I’ve never enjoyed a movie so much as to go and see it multiple times in theaters. It leaves audiences with a nostalgic feeling and entices them to follow their dreams, while letting nothing get in the way. Truly, iconic.