Finally saw it tonight and this movie is ****ing magical. I've never been a fan of musicals, and when it opened with a full-on song and dance number before a single line of dialogue was spoken, I got a little nervous, but you get used to it quickly, and boy is it a great ride from that point on. Just so well done and incredibly entertaining.
That's not to say it's all fun and games - it was definitely more dramatic and somber at times than I expected - and the story itself isn't all that original (a woman trying to make it in LA as actress, who falls in love with a guy trying to make it as a musician), but the skill with which it's executed is what makes it so worth while. Lots of single-take sequences shot in wide angles so you can really see these actors doing their thing. Gosling, director Damien Chazelle, the producer, editor, and composer were all on hand for a Q&A after, in which Gosling revealed that he actually learned piano for the movie, along with every single dance step, same as Emma Stone, and it shows. In much the same way Chazelle hung on single takes of Miles Teller drumming in
Whiplash to amazing effect, he does the same thing here ten fold, and it's just so cool to behold.
Overall, I'm honestly going to be surprised if it doesn't win Best Picture. It's basically a three-horse race between this,
Moonlight, and
Manchester by the Sea, and I think
La La Land will likely have the momentum. Chazelle talked about how it took an entire year to edit - he said it was an extremely complicated process and that it was difficult to "find" the movie - and it subtly shows here and there in that it's not a perfect script, but man, the cinematography, the obvious chemistry between Gosling and Stone, the uniqueness of it all - movies like this just don't come around that often. Quite an emotional ending, too. Chazelle is quickly becoming the king of poignant, finial-sequence set pieces, that's for sure. In fact, between this and
Whiplash, I'd say he's officially one of the next great filmmakers. I will follow every move this guy makes from here on out, with complete enthusiasm. And the dude is only 31, too. Just crazy to think about.
Anyway, it expands wide next weekend, so definitely take the family and give it a shot over the holiday. This is a movie the whole family will love, and you won't regret it.
