La La Land

Year Released: 2016

Runtime: 128 minutes

Directed: Damien Chazelle

Produced: Jordan Horowitz, Fred Berger, Gary Gilbert, Marc Platt

Starring: Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, John Legend (kinda), J.K. Simmons (a little)

Oscars: Won: Best Director, Best Actress (Stone), Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Production Design Nominated: Best Picture, Best Actor (Gosling), Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Costume, Best Original Song (x2), Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing

IMDb Plot Summary: While navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist and an actress fall in love while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future.

Context, Context, Context: What Created La La Land, and Why it’s Still Relevant

A dying art form. In the classic Hollywood era of the 50’s and 60’s, musical films were all the rage. Cinema’s biggest stars were often “triple threats” who could act, sing, and dance. Using the musical format allowed filmmakers, just like theater directors, to visualize the abstract concepts like emotions, falling in love, and regret in unique ways. This gives the musical a unique place in cinema, allowing for more artistic vision once we enter the fantasy of song. However, we rarely see modern Hollywood take on the musical genre, and if they do it’s often an adaptation like Les Misérables, which was a musical long before becoming a film. Director Damien Chazelle wrote this screenplay in 2010, having loved musical films all his life but wanting to update the genre with a not-so-happy ending to reflect modern life’s more jaded view of the career-relationship balance. The title, La La Land, invokes three things: L.A. (Los Angeles), the “fantasy world” where everything we want works out, and the music. After the massive success of Whiplash in 2014, his first mainstream film, Chazelle was able to realize his longstanding vision of an original musical that would feel at once very modern and very classic. Fate brought Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling together as an on-screen couple for the third time, and that ongoing partnership in and of itself is reminiscent of a much older Hollywood. Chazelle worked with his friend and co-writer Justin Hurwitz on the score and songs, legendary choreographer Mandy Moore for the dance numbers, and Gosling learned how to play the piano from scratch. The crew spent four months in rehearsals for singing, dancing, and instrument playing where required – a decidedly old-fashioned undertaking, but the recipe for an instant classic was already being conjured.

The legacy of La La Land. Very rarely have I gone to see a movie twice in theaters; I saw La La Land three times. I was far from the only one charmed by the film, as it brought in nearly $450 million and won all 7 of the Golden Globes it was nominated for, which is a record. It also garnered 14 Oscar Nominations, which is a tie for the most ever. Chazelle became the youngest director ever to win an Oscar, and I’ll say it again: this is his second film. Moonlight deserved the Best Picture win, as it uses art to communicate an important message and put the audience in the main character’s shoes; La La Land is a celebration of art itself, and would have won in any other year this decade. Some films are important, and some are a joyful reminder of just how great film can be – and both can be masterpieces.

The Story and its Characters

Modern romance. Though it takes on less socially important themes than Moonlight, La La Land is still an effective exploration of balancing career and relationships, ambition, and is a self-aware commentary of old school vs. modern culture. The tension of Mia and Sebastian’s individual ambitions and how they may interfere with their relationship, as well as the nature of those ambitions are the driving force of the film, and Chazelle creates a very modern romance film working off that core. When the characters aren’t singing or dancing, we’re treated to a very witty rom com with snappy dialogue that would be a classic in its own right, but when the film does use a musical number, it feels as joyfully imagined as Singin’ In The Rain, and to similar effect. The songs are used to represent abstract ideas like how the characters feel and what they want, rather than divulge any plot information. My favorite thing this movie’s story does is how it subverts older musicals. It’s one thing to update the dialogue and draw out will they/won’t they, which this film does very well, but it’s another thing entirely to pace the film in a modern way. The first part of the film is absolutely the musical, as Sebastian and Mia begin to fall in love and in the early part of their relationship. However, after Sebastian sells out and performs a modern rock song created for the film, there is no more singing until Emma Stone’s final audition. The falling out, arguments, and break-up are all handled without song, which is an excellent choice for the dourness of the situation. And then, of course, the fact that our two protagonists don’t end up together – but we are treated to a final fantasy vision of what their life could have looked like in a perfect world. This breaks our hearts because we’ve been conditioned by decades of films that there will be a happy ending, or that one person will sacrifice their career for love, and Chazelle is brilliant for flipping this.

The performances. The singing and dancing by the whole cast is simply delightful. Now that’s out of the way, the acting is also very solid, but there is such a limited cast surrounding our two protagonists, and they all don’t have a ton to do. Therefore, I’ll spend my time praising both Gosling and Stone. Their dedication to preparing for these parts was total – a very well-known highlight of this is Gosling learning piano from scratch, and the fact that he’s the one playing in this film without a body double or CGI is still beyond impressive. The months spent in dance choreography paid off, as the sequences are simply delightful. While not necessarily being the world’s most talented singers, they more than hold their own especially in the film’s long takes. However, there is so much more to their performances than just the fun musical aspects; Gosling is funny at times, but is also the master of doing subtle moves with his face to allow us the film to project its mood onto him. This is especially poignant as he’s wrestling with joining John Legend’s band and the fact that he’s had to sell out. Emma Stone demonstrates incredible range, especially in her first audition scene where, in one long take, she goes from laughing to suspicion to tears, and we are utterly drawn in. She manages to act while singing in a way that Gosling doesn’t quite match and hits every acting beat in a film that asks its characters to be multidimensional.

Technicalities

Modern updates, classic approach. Chazelle perfectly balances the old-school approach with some very modern techniques to create a both modern and timeless film. With a few exceptions, the musical numbers are filmed very old-school with long takes, relying on lighting, music, and choreography to create excitement and spectacle. He also uses montage throughout the film to excellent effect, which is a very classical technique to show the passage of time. The music itself is immediately akin to some of the most famous showtunes. Through this approach, modern L.A. – traffic and all – appears truly romantic, and the camera captures the west coast’s sunsets brilliantly. All of this could have been done in the late 50’s and early 60’s, but Chazelle also employs very modern techniques to augment the musical numbers as well as in the non-musical sections. The non-musical scenes include very tight and rapid modern editing to complement the snappy dialogue, and the montages feature a very rapid pace with dynamic camera, a very modern touch. The movie itself seems to be brilliantly caught in the tension of modern in some points, but old-school in others; just as how the characters are caught in the tension of modern career drives vs. a blossoming old-school romance. Every time the movie comes “back to reality”, it feels like a strikingly modern rom com through its camera angles and shot pattern. Every time we enter the dreamy world of the musical, we are immediately transported into another era, one where Sebastian and Mia could have had everything they wanted from both their careers and their relationship; reality has something else to say. Every technical facet creates the modern or old-school illusion so well that we bring our expectations about how those stories should play out; and when it doesn’t play out that way, we are stunned.

John’s Highlight Reel

· Another Day of Sun. If you somehow didn’t know you were watching a musical, now you know. The opening number is simply delightful, employing long takes (some that have been digitally edited together) and visual effects to create a completely jammed highway ramp remain jammed while all the drivers get out to sing and dance. Not only are we in a musical, but we are surrounded by people who have bought into the L.A. dream that is nearly impossible to realize.

· Someone in the Crowd. Chazelle pulls out all the stops for the film’s second musical number. It begins with a continuous take inside Mia’s apartment while her roommates are reminding her (through song), that you must put yourself out there to get discovered. The camera is incredibly dynamic, and hits complex marks in sync with the choreography and music. We’re then treated to a brief montage that feels very classic, and then some absolutely gorgeous shots as the music slows before re-introducing the complex camera alongside the up-tempo music.

· Sebastian Fired. When I watched this scene, I realized that this movie’s artistic merit was on another level. As Sebastian starts to stray from the Christmas tunes his restaurant manager was telling him to play into some themes from the movie mixed with some of the most skillful piano playing you’ll ever see, the camera slowly pushes in, the lights in the restaurant dim and a spotlight comes on him from above. We have slipped into the fantasy realm because Sebastian is playing the type of music that he wants to play, and Chazelle is just showing off to our delight.

· A Lovely Night. This is the musical number that feels the most old-school: Mia and Sebastian walk up a hill after a party looking for her car, see a sunset, and sing a song about how they’re not going to fall in love (while starting to fall in love) – all in one take without digital assistance. The camera truly feels like as much a part of the choreography during this scene as the dancing actors, and the spell is brilliantly broken by Mia’s phone ringing – it’s her boyfriend.

· City of Stars (Solo). There are rare scenes that feel destined to become iconic as soon as you see them, and this is absolutely among them. In a charming long take on a pier against another gorgeous purple sunset, Gosling sings about beginning to fall in love with Stone and how he’s worried about it being yet another dream that he can’t realize. This is the movie encapsulated: incredible art for art’s sake, lightly exploring the tension between love and career, and we’re left wanting even more.

· Leaving Dinner, Griffith Observatory. Covering a 10-minute section of the movie, Mia leaves her boyfriend Greg to go meet Sebastian at a movie theater, whose film projector breaks, and then they go to the Griffith Observatory for a fantasy-laden dance in the stars. As this section progresses, the filming moves from very modern to old-school. Close-ups around the dinner table gets turned into one of the most romantic shots in this whole film: Mia running down the street, the camera moving up into the sky, and flower petals swirl by in the breeze. At the observatory, dancing is mixed with light visual humor, until our protagonists begin floating in the sky and dancing among the stars. If you’re still resistant to the charm on display, I can’t help you.

· Montages. An old-school concept that are filmed using modern angles and editing, the montages are a delight. The first is exceptionally lighthearted during Seb and Mia’s “honeymoon” phase in the early part of their dating, and the second suddenly turns sad after Seb sells out to join John Legend’s band. This proves that, despite being the oldest technique in cinema, a well-done montage is still incredibly effective.

· The Fight. Both Stone and Gosling contributed to the dialogue in this scene, and I think it’s one of the most realistic I’ve ever seen. It’s set against a brilliant green background and the candles on the table provide artsy lighting, but the dialogue is incredibly realistic. There are a million things each character could say that might salvage the situation, but they don’t; when the music cuts out, we know there’s no turning back.

· The Audition. Here’s yet another instantly iconic scene that no doubt was the clip Emma Stone submitted for her consideration for the Oscar, which she deservedly won. Who cares if she doesn’t have the pipes of Celine Dion? She absolutely rocks this long take, and after the lights onscreen dim, it’s just her singing and being vulnerable against a black background, and the audience is completely enraptured.

· What Could Have Been. Watching the movie’s musical numbers up to this point, I didn’t think Chazelle had any tricks left up his sleeve – oh how wrong I was. In a scene that is simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking, the audience gets to see a purely artistic vision of what life could have looked like for Mia and Sebastian if they had achieved their dreams AND ended up together. A few of the scene’s key films are re-played but altered and given the ultimate montage/50’s musical treatment. It’s almost as if this were the movie made about the real events we saw in the movie if they had turned out happier. It uses the musical cues that we’ve been hearing throughout the whole movie in some brilliant self-reference, it pays homage to older musicals, and is undeniably one of the best sequences of pure visual artistry that I’ve seen in an awfully long time.

Came for _____, Stayed for ______

The Ambition. I was excited for this film as soon as I heard the news – the guy whose first real film was the absolutely electrifying Whiplash is following it up with an original musical? One that is reportedly going to rely on old-school techniques, but remember the energy Chazelle brought in Whiplash? And Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are going to star? I was signed up before the movie had finished filming.

The Success. This movie simply delighted audiences, reminding them of what art could be and how a well-made musical could entertain, capture imaginations, and portray feelings in such a poignant way. This movie and Moonlight became linked at the Oscars, and Moonlight is certainly the better film that takes on more important ideas. But whenever I need to be joyfully reminded of just how good movies can be, and refreshed by pure artistry, I have yet to find something that does it better than this.