"La La Land" Review - Here's To The Magic of Musicals and Cinema

Yep. I truly cannot believe it. I want to be Damien Chazelle when I grow up (technically Tom Cross) because this man has just created one of the most genius and phenomenal movies of the 21st century.

It’s not as good as Whiplash, but pretend Whiplash represents Hamilton. La La Land is Wicked. There is so much to talk about, and I'm sorry this review is long, but I want to refrain from talking about it too much. This film is meant to be viewed as a surprise, so I’m going to keep it that way.

First, technical aspects. One of the biggest reasons I love Damien Chazelle is because he manages to create cinematography that is downright colorful and unique, but also is not there for eye candy. If there’s a cool shot in the movie, there’s a meaning to it. The cinematography is downright perfect and because it was shot in Cinemascope, that only brought out the array of colors even more, especially on some of the gorgeous costumes. The writing was just as good as “Manchester By The Sea” in that all the dialogue feels natural and not panned as an Oscar bait screenplay.

Now, the other aspects. THE…MUSIC…IS…F***ING….BRILLIANT. This movie has a full on orchestra for it’s musical numbers, and it pays off in such a majestic way. Each song has an orchestral feel and a jazzy mood to it, so it makes every song undeniably memorable. The people who dance (with incredible precision and dynamite choreography) and sing, especially Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, come out with a force not to be reckoned with, which only adds to the brilliance of this film.

If there’s one con I had to give, it’s that it wasn’t as musical as I wanted it to be. There are only 7 songs, and I wish there were a few more because the first 3 songs take you on a gear 5 shift ride. And then after that, it slows down a lot. But Damien Chazelle mentioned in the Q&A that this was because he only wanted to have songs that brought out the emotions. That statement reminded me of the film “Cabaret” in that it’s completely different from the musical, but it flows more as a movie. So I understand where Damien comes from. Even when the movie is slow though, the songs still make you want to cry, and the overall story is still engaging and gripping that it keeps you in your seat for the full two hours.

Overall, this film is magnificent. The first 5 minutes and the last 5 minutes are some of the best sequences I have ever seen on film. And that’s not even counting some of the songs, which have some of the best sequences as well. The thing that makes “La La Land” such a genius piece of art is it’s ambition. There hasn’t been an original live action movie musical since “Once”, and that’s shocking. I think it’s because directors don’t want to be this ambitious anymore. The only shows and movies that manage to have these extravagant musical numbers are the ones that are animated. Because as difficult as animation is, you can make any character do what you want to do. Because of the ambition everyone had on this piece of art, “La La Land” is the movie where worlds that contain Phineas and Ferb, Steven Universe, and even Gene Kelly, are presented live right before your eyes. And while this film may seem to be a throwback to 1940s and have the mojo of a Disney animated film, make no mistake. For the first time I think in all of cinema history, we have a movie that balances magic with the real world lifestyles we make.

When you enter the theatre to see this movie, you are entering into an animated world. You guys are not ready for what you’re about to see.

Two Nebs Up!