When you think of a movie that starts in such a cheesy, cutesy way, you set it up in your mind to be a very specific type of film. It brings to mind Singin’ in the Rain and Mary Poppins, and all the other classics you were forced to watch at your grandma’s house as a kid. And, while La La Land most definitely pulls its colorful, nostalgic aesthetic from those beloved oldies, the movie manages to enter a genre of its own.
I mean, it opens with a bunch of people wearing bright colors, singing and dancing on top of their cars in the middle of a Los Angeles traffic jam. ‘Nuff said.
La La Land is a love letter to the city of Los Angeles. It follows the lives of impassioned jazz pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and struggling actress Mia (Emma Stone) as they pursue their dreams and fall in love. While Sebastian is trying to open up his own jazz club, where jazz can be appreciated like it used to be, Mia is trying to make her way into the world of acting in spite of everyone around her. The two soon find, however, how difficult it is to love and support one another when you are struggling to love and support yourself.
The movie is built like a romantic musical meant for people who don’t usually like musicals and/or love stories. There are so many thought-provoking, enigmatic, progressive themes intertwined with the movie’s romance and fantasy. Mia is a perfect example of a strong female lead; she carves her own path and does exactly what she feels she needs to do, despite the doubts of those around her. Everything that Mia has she gets all on her own, illustrating that while the story may be about a romance, it is in no way about Mia and Sebastian’s dependence on each other.
La La Land applies to all of the creative types out there, especially the ones who are afraid to think of themselves that way. In the song “Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” Mia addresses the often-debated contrast between doing what you love, and doing what is practical. The messages hidden within the lyrics honors the foolishness and satisfaction of following your dreams. This is just one reason why I strongly recommend this movie to anyone who wants to work on a stage, or with a pencil in their hand, instead of behind a desk in an office.
Another important theme in La La Land is the music, written and composed by Justin Hurwitz, who was also a writer for Oscar-award winner Whiplash. The soundtrack does a great job of merging the nostalgic, upbeat notes of jazz with the sounds of musicals from the ’50s and ’60s. The way that the same catchy themes are weaved throughout all of the songs and changed each time to apply to completely different contexts is just so clever. Neither Emma Stone nor Ryan Gosling have particularly musical theater-y voices, but the movie doesn’t try to make them into something they’re not. Instead, by using their softer, more relaxed voices, a haunting element is added to the old music style.
It is important that viewers walk into La La Land with an open mind. If you’re expecting to see a revival of Bye Bye Birdie or The Sound of Music, replete with unfading smiles and happy endings, you’re going to be disappointed, or at least caught off-guard. La La Land is all over the place; it’s a long and winding road, but one I think that’s worth the journey. It’s new, it’s an experience, it’s…..the winner of seven Golden Globe awards. So, as they say in the movie, “here’s to the fools who dream!”
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