I’ve always assumed that referring to Los
Angeles as “La La Land” was a put down, a
pejorative description of the city as the home
of illusion and fantasy. Damian Chazelle in his
film titled La La Land, however, sees it as the
home of a different sort of make-believe – an
enchanting, joy-filled arena where singing and
dancing about life is as authentic as living it.
Here Los Angeles plays itself with a mixture of
fantasy and reality and a nod to films such as
Jacques Demy's musicals of the French New Wave,
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Young Girls
of Rochefort. Reinventing the genre for a new
generation, La La Land offers a delightful combo
of jazz, pop songs, dance routines, and two
people in love dreaming under the stars. It’s
enough to make you think that our current
political scene may only reflect temporary
insanity.
In the film, Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), an
aspiring jazz pianist, and Mia (Emma Stone), a
promising actress, come to Hollywood to fulfill
their dreams, but find that dreamers are not
always in vogue. The now well-known opening
scene is shot on the L.A. Freeway, but those who
drive it every day probably wouldn’t have
noticed much difference in the volume of noise,
wall-to-wall cars, and people acting out. Here,
though the acting out is – really acting, though
the commuters seem as agitated as always. The
fake traffic jam, however, is much more
entertaining than the real one as a chorus
bursts out with the song “Another Day of Sun,”
written by Justin Hurwitz with lyrics by Benj
Pasek and Justin Paul, and you forget that you
will be very late for work.
The story itself is bittersweet though it always
has an air of innocence. Mia works behind the
counter at the Warner Brothers studio lot but
still makes time for auditions that may only
last thirty seconds or less. Seb dreams of
owning his own jazz club but is forced to play
Christmas music at a lounge by his boss (J.K.
Simmons), a little less overbearing than in
Whiplash, but still ornery enough to fire him
when he stops playing Jingle Bells. Mia wants to
meet the fired pianist after his doomed gig but
he rudely brushes right past her – no meet cute,
there. Of course, we all know they are going to
be a couple eventually and when they do come
together romantically, they are a charming pair
who exude chemistry as they make their way
through some of Los Angeles’ notable tourist
attractions such as Griffith Park Observatory
where they fly halfway to the stars.
Though Gosling and Stone are no Ginger Rodgers
and Fred Astaire, they are good enough to
elevate our spirits as they sing and dance to
the strains of songs such as “City of Stars,” a
tune that you may even remember after you go
home. Although she is not a big fan of jazz, Mia
and Seb do have a love of music in common but
their relationship becomes complicated when he
joins a band led by John Legend and commits
himself to going on tour. Mia has put her hopes
in performing a one-woman play but it fails to
attract an audience, and she is back to square
one. Nonetheless, La La Land works hard from
beginning to end to make its point that if you
stick to your guns, work hard enough and don’t
give up, things will eventually work out. That,
however, may be its most gravity-defying trick
of all.
GRADE: A-
Howard Schumann
