When La La Land was first announced, I was immediately intrigued by the aesthetic and backdrop of the film, along with the story it was hoping to tell: A young actor trying to make it in Hollywood meets a young musician trying to make it big, himself, and fall for each other under the lights of Los Angeles. I formed a connection with the characters, sympathized, and was drawn to find out what happens next. When I discovered it was a musical, I was more skeptical than before. But after all of the awards the film has won so far, I figured it had to be at least good, if not great. I went into the movie theater expecting to enjoy it. I left the theater speechless, because La La Land is one of the best films I’ve ever seen. Period.
The film opens to a giant, highway-spanning musical number full of dancing, singing, and quick camera movements. It's big, bright, bold, and puts you in an uplifted mood. It also could be a little off-putting, especially if you’re someone who isn’t that into musicals. But once it's over we are introduced to Mia, played heartbreakingly well by Emma Stone. She’s an aspiring actor working as a barista on the Warner Bros. lot and is struggling to maintain her passion and drive through rejection and uncertainty.
We then meet Sebastian, played surprisingly understated (in the best possible way) by Ryan Gosling. He’s a Jazz musician who dreams of a day when he not only owns his own Jazz club, but of a time when people truly appreciate his style of music. Through a movie-like turn of events, the two meet each other, and instantly pull the audience in with a magnetic connection. The two share a handful of songs together, and make your heart melt with each note. I found myself smiling and wanting the two to love each other more intensely with each moment they spent together on screen. The dialogue was superb, and encounters were heartwarming. The Observatory scene was particularly enchanting, and visually and artistically stunning.
The two fall in love, a movie-made fairy tale, and pursue a life together, each encouraging and supporting one another through it all. But when Sebastian is approached by an old friend who’s starting a new band and is about to go on tour, a rift is driven between the two that is seemingly impassable. Mia eventually gets a callback for a big movie, gets the part, and heads to Paris for a seven-month long excursion. Sebastian tells her that she has to do this and that he’s not worth her giving up on her dream - or giving up on herself. Mia looks to him and says, “You know I will always love you”. Sebastian simply says, “You know I will always love you, too”.
Fast forward 5 years later, and Mia is a big time movie star - married with a daughter, and Sebastian is the owner of his very own Jazz club - alone as before the day he met his muse. The two run into each other again, and go on a whirlwind rewrite of their very own story. This is where the movie gets so damn creative that I couldn’t look away. The movie returns back to their first encounter, and instead of Sebastian blowing Mia off, the two embrace each other with unwavering passion. The story is flipped around, Sebastian never goes on tour, Mia’s career takes off on a higher note than before, and we find the two watching an old movie together just as they did before - but this isn’t Casablanca or Rebel Without a Cause - it's their home movies of their child, all shot in the style of 60’s cinema.
I am not doing it justice, but my jaw dropped through all of this, I was smiling like a goofball, and I couldn’t have been more connected to the characters. But with just a few piano keys we are brought back to the real world, one in which their story wasn’t meant to be. But as Mia is leaving his club for the final time, they lock eyes, smile, and without ever saying a word, Sebastian simply nods to Mia, and she smiles back through watery eyes. The End.
This movie is heartbreakingly good, and just a damn fun time to spend in a movie theater. And trust me, my words cannot do this movie justice. Now some people don’t like that they didn’t have a happy ending, but I applaud the film for this. Every movie today has to have a perfect ending, but movies like Casablanca didn’t end this way. Sometimes in life you don’t get everything you want. Sometimes there is heartbreak and despair without ever knowing why. And sometimes all you get is a simple moment of bliss, one simple smile and head nod to pay your respects to a time gone by. To a passion that truly will never die.
La La Land demonstrates the ferocity, electricity, and momentum that a great love story can have, one which you never want to end. But sometimes it's just a case of ‘right place, wrong time’, and you must accept it and move on, but not without showing appreciation for the time spent together. There is sacrifice and nobility in Sebastian and Mia’s tale, and they did what had to be done for the one they loved most - they let each other be free. But there will always be a connection between the two, an interstellar tether that holds them together no matter where life takes them. A spark of insanity, intensity, love, and fate. This movie will make you believe in the power of the human spirit, and the strength of a star that’s too bright and intense for its own good.
Now I will not say if this will win ‘Best Picture’ at The Oscars, simply because I haven’t seen any of the other contenders. But the performances were splendid, pure, and enchanting. In a time filled with cynicism and explosions and franchise films, La La Land is a breath of fresh air. Not by playing the nostalgia card, but by telling everyone that it's OK to smile and fall in love and to open yourself to the power of human connection. Even if it's not meant to be. This made me fall in love with the movies all over again, and among the dance numbers, ballads, and simple holding of each other’s hand, La La Land will be a film I cherish for a long, long time.
