128 minutes, Romantic Comedy/Drama
Behind the curtains and beyond centre stage of the winsome and whimsical LA LA LAND, awaits so much more than the romantic musical you’re seated for.
Generating plenty of Oscar buzz and recent recipient of 7 Golden Globe nominations, including best motion picture (musical or comedy), LA LA LAND is Damien Chazelle’s third feature film after last year’s gripping Academy Award winning music-driven movie, WHIPLASH.
Starring Emma Stone as Mia, an aspiring actress, and Ryan Gosling as Sebastian, a struggling jazz pianist, who have both travelled to Los Angeles in pursuit of their dream careers. Their individual paths to success however will change when they eventually meet and fall in love.
Talent isn’t hard to come by in LA LA LAND, a music-driven film more so than an actual musical. No matter where you look and what you hear, talent is constantly on display and evident in all aspects of one of the most artistically complete productions you’ll see in a long time. And I am not referring to the singing and dancing sequences alone either.
The conception, writing and execution of LA LA LAND is packed full of effortless and endless creativity and striking originality that is utterly delightful to be in the presence of. Of particular note, is the timelessness of the film and its glorious retro design, with only subtle and occasional reminders you are watching a contemporary picture.
The film’s simple premise accumulates so much depth and meaning, inviting deep analysis and provoking plenty of thought from viewers. The screenplay is indeed rich. Impressively, even LA LA LAND’s weightier notes barely interfere with the lightness of touch consistently performing throughout much of its duration.
So then how, you may ask, does LA LA LAND fall short of the perfect score so many are labelling it with? Ultimately, my appreciation levels for LA LA LAND as a production sit higher than my true affection for its lead characters’ affections. As mentioned, it is written with more creativity than almost any other movie you’ll see in 2016, yet some of its more specific character and thematic writing isn’t as precisely recognised as its outstanding production values.
4 out of 5
Trailer
LA LA LAND
Viewer Discretion
M – Coarse Language
Moviedoc wishes to thank Claire from Entertainment One, Entertainment One and Hoyts Melbourne Central for the invitation to the Media Screening of LA LA LAND.
Review by Moviedoc
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