Cedars, January 2017

January 2017

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

by Callahan Jones

he modern musical “La La Land,” di-

rected by Damien Chazelle, is a fresh

twist on a tale of love told time and

time again. It is held up by solid acting, in-

novative cinematography, and a Golden

Globe winning soundtrack.

The film opens up with an energetic

number, “Another Day of Sun,” that tells of

life in Los Angeles. The scene features im-

pressive on-screen choreography in an ex-

pressive Broadway style.

It is during this opener that the two

main characters are introduced during a fit

of LA traffi road rage. Mia (Emma Stone)

is an actress struggling to break into Hol-

lywood and is working at a coffee shop in

the meantime. Sebastian (Ryan Gosling)

is the stereotypical starving jazz artist with

dreams of opening his own jazz club.

They meet again at a party and reluc-

tantly fall in love and urge each other to

reach for the stars. The two start to tackle

their dreams over a multitude of scenes and

songs.

Rather than wondering what a couple

in love might do when their ambitions are

pulling them in opposite directions, the film

ambitiously tackles the problem, one that

many couples face today, head on.

However, “La La Land’s” plot, though

viewed through an interesting lens, is a story

that has been many times. Two people meet,

fall in love, live some of life together, and

then have problems that eventually resolve

in one way or another. The plot concept it-

self is the weakest part of the movie.

Also on the weak side are some of the

supporting roles in the cast. One of the most

disappointing performances is John Legend

appearing in the role of Sebastian’s old col-

lege friend. Legend seemed cast for his abil-

ity to draw people to the film, rather than

for his acting ability. Legend’s star power is

especially apparent in the scene containing

the track “Start A Fire,” the oddest break of

the entire film

What is not weak about “La La Land” is

almost every other aspect of the film

Both Stone and Gosling play their char-

acters excellently, making them believable

and drawing the audience into the story,

regardless of how many times they’ve heard

it before. Their chemistry is outstanding.

Stone and Gosling also performed all of their

character’s dancing and singing in the film,

areas in which they are evidently skilled.

One place in which their skill is ap-

parent is during the song “A Lovely Night,”

which is when the two first start to fall in

love. Throughout the beautiful and humor-

ous number, the two sing about how the

night was wasted by the other’s compa-

ny while cycling through various forms of

dance, including an extended tap-inspired

routine.

The strong character portrayals by

Stone and Gosling are backed up by the

film’s smart writing. The dialogue flows nat-

urally and the humor is well placed. How-

ever, the movie does make some clever al-

lusions to popular movies of the past that

might go over the heads of younger or less

informed audience members.

The music of “La La Land” is the real

shining feature of the film, as it should be.

All but one of the songs was composed by

Justin Hurwitz, a newcomer to film compos-

ing. Many of the tracks, both those sung by

the characters and the soundtrack, have a

heavy jazz influence, fitting in with the char-

acter of Sebastian and giving the entire film

a nostalgic feel.

One of the most emotionally powerful

moments of the film, the epilogue, is filled

entirely with a sweeping track (the appro-

priately titled “Epilogue”), which contains

throwbacks to the rest of the musical themes

present in the film

Overall, “La La Land” feels like a throw-

back to the films of yesteryear but manages

to keep it fresh and relevant to today’s world.

Through Stone and Gosling’s performances,

smart writing decisions and a refreshing and

powerful soundtrack, Chazelle has managed

to produce a movie that is easily one of the

best of 2016.

Callahan Jones is a sophomore journalism

major and a writer and web designer for

Cedars. He enjoys progressive metal, jazz,

classical, various other kinds of music, and

boardgames.

Movie Review: ‘La La Land’

Photo Courtesy of Lionsgate Publicity