If you haven’t heard about La La Land, you’ve probably been living under a rock. La La Land, the modern musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, tied for the record of award wins at the Golden Globes in January. But they also earned 14 Oscar nominations, tying them for most nominations with The Titanic and All About Eve.
So maybe you’ve heard about La La Land, but what’s so great about? Well if you need more of a reason than Ryan Gosling’s beautiful face (which you shouldn’t), here’s a run down on why we love La La Land and why you need to see it today.
Originality
Everything that comes out in Hollywood these days seems to be a remake, a sequel, or “Based on a True Story.” There’s no original content coming out, which isn’t to blame the writers or directors. It’s hard stuff to do! But La La Land director Damien Chazelle managed to do it. It is completely original and new, from the music to the story. There’s something exciting about watching something that you can’t predict or haven’t seen before.
The Music
If you don’t like musicals, you may not love the songs- but this is a musical made for people who “don’t like musicals.” This music is SO CATCHY and is very incorporated into the plot and script, making it feel more natural. The opening scene starts with a song, immediately setting the tone for the rest of the film. The songs vary from super theatrical and upbeat to emotional ballads. They will be stuck in your head for days and you will literally dance when you leave the theatre.
The On Screen Chemistry
If you don’t secretly think Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling should be together in real life, you need to reevaluate your life. Their characters move so well together and have such great chemistry that you can tell they are made for each other. Their characters are also extremely relatable- two people who have big dreams, but are on their last ends. It is Gosling and Stone’s third movie together, so you can really see how great they work as an on- screen couple. (We understand Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes are in a long-term relationship with multiple children, but a girl can dream.)
Happiness
While this may be debatable, I felt that La La Land removed me from the hectic, sadness of the current state of our world and gave me an escape. For just a mere two hours, you are removed from your life and placed into the La La Land world, full of music and dreams. However, it can be argued that movies should make you think and that this state of “nostalgia” can be harmful to progress. But to each their own.
Overall, La La Land has its lover and haters. Critics of the film discuss Ryan Gosling’s character “mansplaining” jazz to Emma Stone’s character, as well as his white character attempting to “save jazz.” There will always be criticism for every film, but in my humble opinion, La La Land is an amazingly well done musical that everyone should see to brighten up their day (and it was even better the second time.)