Film Review: La La Land

Originally published February 23, 2017

The opening of La La Land is almost too massive. The showstopper of a number, “Another Day of Sun”, follows a variety of Angelenos as they dance and sing around the 105–110 interchange leading into downtown Los Angeles. It is a massive set piece and almost seems more fitting as an ending to the film than its beginning. If one goes into La La Land knowing nothing about it, they might assume that they’re in for a patchwork look at Los Angeles through various eyes filled with one massive number after another.

But that impression is proven false as the film zooms in on Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), revealing a more intimate yet no less epic film underneath. Mia is an aspiring actress trying to make it in Hollywood, and Seb is a jazz pianist working odd jobs in the hopes of opening his own club.

It’s these two that provide most of the emotional weight required to keep the film from turning into complete fluff. Gosling and Stone knock it out of the park here and their chemistry strings the film together wonderfully as it glides from tune to tune. The pair aren’t exactly fleet of foot, but given the plot one should not expect them to be. The two are supposed to normal people trying to make it, not professionals, so Gosling’s awkward twirls during “A Lovely Night” can be forgiven. They do sing well though, especially when Stone lets it all out during “Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” her solo number at the end of the film.

Writer and director Damien Chazelle (Whiplash) is a smart guy, though, and has surrounded himself with top notch talent. Cinematographer Linus Sandgren (American Hustle) and editor Tom Cross (Whiplash) are both at the top of their games. Sandgren’s use of the “magic hour” drapes the film in purple and orange hues and makes everything pop off the screen. Using CinemaScope is a master stroke, giving the Los Angeles of the film a size and scope that makes the film seem even more epic than it first seems.

Tom Cross’s editing, like his work in Whiplash, is fast and fluid, but he knows when to slow down and let everything else take over. This is most obvious during “A Lovely Night”. Cross doesn’t make a single cut during the entire sequence, letting Sandgren show Stone and Gosling in full view.

That particular sequence is a microcosm everything that makes this film work. Not everything is top-notch, but it doesn’t need to be. It all fits together like a jigsaw puzzle. Everything in this film, from the acting to the songs to the technical work, clicks and creates a wonderful movie that rightfully ensures its place in the history books.