Movie Review: La La Land

From the moment the first song in La La Land started playing, an enormous smile broke across my face. It didn’t go away for a long time. In an era dominated by CGI, La La Land offered a return to that classic Hollywood feel we all know and love (think Singin’ in the Rain). But while presenting a welcome sense of nostalgia, the movie was anything but nostalgic. It expertly balanced an old aesthetic with a modern story.  

One of the two protagonists, Mia, is fierce and independent. She makes professional choices dictated by her own ambition rather than the wishes of others. The other main character, Sebastian, is an avid lover of classic jazz who feels left behind in the world of modernized music. Through Sebastian’s character, we again see the balance between the modern and classic, a repeating theme throughout the movie. The ending of La La Land strays from the old Hollywood picture-perfect conclusions–while retaining the song and dance numbers that make us swoon, La La Land presents a more realistic version of love, with all its messiness and imperfections.

But more than a love story, La La Land is about dreams. Director Damien Chazelle’s masterpiece perfectly embodies the life of an up and coming dreamer. Each song is rich with excitement but also full of uncertainty, admitting the fact that following one’s dream can be a risky process. The score, composed by Justin Hurwitz, is intentionally simple, but with tunes that stay with you long after you leave the theater. The colors are vibrant, the music is magnificent, and the message is poignant–sometimes it is difficult for love and dreams to coincide.

All in all, La La Land is deserving of all the critical acclaim it has received and more. Chazelle made a brave choice to develop a genre of movie that has been virtually unseen in theaters for decades, but he did so with zeal, and in this critic’s mind, he most certainly succeeded.