Watch it, open your heart to it and be surprised!!

Rating: 8/10 (11 June 2017)

WOW!! What an incredible surprise this movie was. I bought the DVD this afternoon, having not seen it at the cinema. I had much trepidation about it in view of the many, many, many poor or terrible reviews it's received on IMDb but, you know what, I think people just don't get musicals these days. There was a time when musicals were popular because they provided fantasy, often a love story of boy meets girl and there was usually a happy ending.
Before I go further, let me say I am not usually a fan of musicals myself and that one of the things that I hate most in the world is modern jazz, or "musical mast*****ion" as I often call that. I loved "Whiplash" despite its concentration on what I would call modern jazz. So, although I didn't like the jazz aspect in LLL, I still thought it a great movie and deserving of many of its Oscars, one of which was I believe for cinematography. The movie is just gorgeous to look at; every shot is beautifully composed and lit to perfection.
The point of the movie should be evident to anyone. It is a fantasy, a what if something we choose had happened slightly differently, what if the first encounter of the two main characters was the only interaction they ever had in a city the size of Los Angeles, what if she hadn't finally landed a part in a big movie, what if he had given up on his dream of the jazz club.
The ending, I think, was perfect. Not a saccharin thing but something beautiful. I really was incredibly surprised by this one and I look forward to watching it again soon with my wife.
Go into this one with an open mind and you should be rewarded. It is a very fine movie.
JMV