If you thought that the classics were dead, head to the theaters right now to witness a classic being born. La La Land, now holding a record-breaking seven Golden Globes, will charm even those who don’t like musicals, or at least, that’s part of director Damien Chazelle’s goal.
The story follows an aspiring actress, Mia, and a jazz musician, Sebastian, as they meet in LA and help each other pursue their dreams in a very real world of failed auditions and unpaid bills. Full of joy and sorrow in a colorful and inspiring filter, the movie is the definition of a modern classic, and here are seven reasons why you too should love it:
1. The color
The opening scene of La La Land emerges the audience into a world of fantastical color and whimsical sets, and the rest of the movie intentionally follows suit. Each colorful scene, like a yellow dress (really, no one can pull off yellow like Emma Stone) against a violet sky, makes me want to smile, and my smiling just kept getting bigger and bigger throughout the movie. “(We were) all inspired by the old technicolor movies … because (that) was a time in moviemaking where color felt fresh,” Chazelle says.
2. The music
I'd be lying if I said I haven't played the La La Land soundtrack on repeat for days. The music is full of upbeat songs that made me smile like nobody’s business and also songs so full of meaning to the characters that I cried. It carries the musical along the story line in a graceful way that isn’t too obvious. Listen to it and tell me that "City of Stars" isn't in your head too. I dare you.
3. The dancing
As a dancer, I almost jumped up and down at the opening number. I for sure tried to remember some of the choreography, by Mandy Moore, to practice later. “I’m going to call it hashtag panic attack,” Moore said of the opening number. The rest of the musical incorporated dance in a natural and beautiful way. Moore said that she worked with the actors a lot to make the movements both an extension of their personalities and the character’s persona. And it worked. The dancing makes me want to flout away with ecstasy.
4. The Actors
Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling made the characters come to life with a personal depth that connected with the story very well. I credit this to how their stories mirror those of their characters. When asked if she saw herself in the character of Mia, Stone said, “Of course.” The chemistry between the leads was a soft sort of connection that felt as if they not only loved each other but liked each other. This may be due to the fact that this is their third work together as actors. “You put them on screen together and they create this magic that, it’s like, it’s the best special effect,” Chazelle said of Stone and Gosling.
5. The cracks in the pavement
One of the things that makes La La Land so beautiful is that not everything in the movie is flawless. There are cracks in the pavement, bills to make, auditions that don’t go as planned. This balance of fantastical joy and relatable sorrows breaks boundaries for the movie. It shows the audience that Hollywood and the bling of fame isn’t all that it seems. Chazelle says that he experimented by putting both extremes. “It’s trying to have high moments of fantasy, as the genre allows you to do, like float up to the stars, and at the same time have as raw and intimate stuff between actors as you could”
6. The unexpected ending
*Spoiler Alert*
La La Land’s ending made me cry for about a couple of hours (and I’m seriously not kidding), but it wasn’t a bad ending. Why the tears? When generalizing colorful, chick flick-like movies, they always end with the girl and the guy dancing off into the sunset. Now, La La Land did have a dance in the sunset, but that wasn’t the ending. The leads didn’t even end the story together, but they were both happy. The ending showed that sometimes love doesn’t last forever, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t beautiful. They weren’t together, but they each helped each other find their dreams and pursue them. They weren’t together, but they were happy. They weren’t together, but they will always love each other.
7. The contemporary classic
I went into La La Land thinking that it was a retro movie. To my surprise, it was set in the 21st Century! Class like this in the world of the Kardashians, no way! Throughout the movie, I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn’t an Audrey Hepburnesque tale. The whole story incorporated a classy filter to modern life. If LA is really like La La Land, I think I’ll move there. “It was our goal not to sound like an old fashioned musical, to sort of be inspired by what we love but also make something that sounds like its own thing,” Chazelle says. And he succeeded. La La Land created its own genera in a way, and I hope other movies follow the fresh trail of this contemporary classic.
