La La Land

LA LA LAND

Director : Damien Chazelle

Year : 2017

Genre : Musical

Rating : ****1/2

Damien Chazelle's triumphant follow-up to his 2015 opus 'Whiplash' is a thing of hypnotic beauty - effortlessly combining stunning cinematography, wonderful song and dance sequences and awards-worthy performances to create a uniquely bittersweet and nostalgia-laden ode to the classic Hollywood musical. Of course, the genre has never really left us; with the many modern Disney classics such as 'Frozen' and 'Moana' as well as critically acclaimed efforts such as Tom Hoopers lavish 'Les Miserables', Tim Burton's squeamish 'Sweeney Todd : The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street' and John Carney's terrific trilogy of 'Once', 'Begin Again' and 'Sing Street' all helping to keep the traditions of the much-loved genre alive and well in an increasingly CGI cinematic landscape. 

But instead of trying to re-invent the artform, Chazelle purposefully looks to Hollywood's diverse past for inspiration - taking themes, ideas and motifs from the most revered examples of the genre to bring to life his own very personal love-letter to the golden age of the musical that hits all the right notes and leaves it's audience with a song in their hearts and their head in the clouds. 

After a high-kicking song and dance number on a gridlocked Los Angeles freeway, 'La La Land' introduces us to aspiring actress Mia (Emma Stone) and jazz pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) whose blossoming love is soon challenged by their burgeoning dreams of success and stardom. Having worked together previously on 'Birdman', 'Crazy, Stupid, Love' and 'Gangster Squad', Stone and Gosling have sparkling chemistry together and the performances are naturalistic, likable and incredibly watchable. In one stand-out scene, the two dance and sing together against the backdrop of a beautiful L.A sunset and it is in this sequence that their on-screen dynamic shines at it's brightest. Much has already been written about Emma Stone's potentially Oscar-winning work here but credit must also go out to Ryan Gosling who handles both the singing and dancing surprisingly well - even going so far to learn the piano to a considerable degree in preparation for the role.

But while the performances and story are great, 'La La Land's true majesty lies in it's stunning visuals and production values. Shot on 35mm celluloid, cinematographer Linus Sandgren bathes Chazelle's masterful direction in extravagant hues and tones - deftly capturing the nostalgic wonder of the film and lending the many musical set pieces a suitably dream-like quality - set pieces all underscored by Justin Hurwitz's sumptuous orchestral accompaniments which really help to emphasise the emotion and passion of it's two central characters. The songs too are beautifully written and performed; even though I would still love the aforementioned 'Sing Street' to pick up the Academy Award come February 26th. Every time a character bursts into song, the progression feels completely natural and appropriate, something which cannot be said for a large majority of modern musicals. 

In terms of critical and commercial reach, 'La La Land' is a very safe film indeed. The musical is a continually beloved genre and if the Golden Globes are anything to go by, it is sure to do very well during this year's award season. But that is my one and only gripe. 'La La Land' is safe. Compared to Chazelle's previous film 'Whiplash' which was all at once daring, provocative, shocking, uplifting and far from safe, this movie feels much more on less rocky ground. 'Whiplash' may be the better film and more risky of the two movies but nonetheless, 'La La Land' is a terrifically entertaining and beautifully constructed masterpiece that proves once again that the 31 year old Damien Chazelle is a directorial force to be reckoned with.