'La La Land'
Just as everyone else, I’ve been pulled into the frenzy of watching America’s heart-throb on the silver screen, Ryan Gosling.
Gosling’s new film, La La Land, costarring with Emma Stone, has been sweeping the nation with its lyrics and incredible cinematography, winning a record seven Golden Globes.
But before I purchased my own ticket to this modern musical, I was skeptical of the reviews and the hype.
I took a seat in the corner of a dark theater. The seat reclined back, and I realized just how fancy of a place I was in.
“Get ready for something big,” I thought. “Places like this are reserved for art.”
The previews began and my sarcastic thoughts towards musicals continued.
My past was littered with tone-deaf musical notes and disappointing dance numbers. Musicals didn’t fare well with me because of their unrealistic and bombastic scenes and plots. In fact, my dislike leaned more towards hatred.
However, it took exactly fifteen minutes of La La Land for me to disregard everything I had ever thought about musicals.
The film began with an incredible musical number featuring hundreds of dancers taking a Los Angeles interstate by storm. But unlike the intro scene, it was not the singing and dancing of La La Land that would prove it to be possibly the best film of 2017.
The plot, delivered by director Damien Chazelle, sold the film and left the audience stunned and eager for more.
Our main characters, Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone), find themselves struggling with the decision of investing into each other and the love they’ve created, or to continue chasing the dreams that they’ve come so far for.
The simple plot line of the film creates such a memorable and beautiful story that fans and critics have begun to fall in love with. It is a decision that we all face every day. Therefore, the spark between Mia and Sebastian, and the turmoil of their respective careers and dreams, is one that we can all relate to.
The beauty of this film doesn’t end there. The staple of La La Land, the singing and dancing of Gosling and Stone, was the least impressive attribute to the entire film. But in an unexpected twist, it was also the best.
Gosling and Stone, non-traditional singers in the movie business, had to stretch their acting ability to sell their performance. Compared to previous musicals such as Singing in the Rain, Gosling and Stone simple do not match up to the note-belting performers who sing for a living.
But this weakness became La La Land’s greatest strength. While Ryan Gosling’s voice couldn’t reach the higher notes, and Emma Stone’s singing was a bit quiet, their performances humanized the film. Their singing and dancing showed the audience that this could have been real life. It could have been any one of us dancing to the back drop of a sunset above L.A., wasting away our own loving night.
When I walked out of that expensive-looking Indianapolis theater into the cold January night, I still hated musicals. I resent shows such as Grease, just as any other piece of pop-culture that is flashy and lacks meaning, like David Ayer’s Suicide Squad.
But this time, things were different.
I found myself humming the tune of City of Stars, La La Land’s soon-to-be-adored theme. I caught myself tapping my foot to the rest of the soundtrack as I listened to it days, even weeks, after I had seen it.
Most importantly, I found myself dreaming.
In short, La La Land is a film that confronts the question that we all ask ourselves every night we go to sleep, the thought that eats at us every morning we wake up to face the world – Are our dreams truly worth it?
Rating: 4.8/5
