An enchanting step in the right direction

Rating: 8/10 (8 December 2016)

In some ways this is a lovely movie with a wonderful homage to old Hollywood musicals and a romantic if slightly derivative and simplistic main musical theme.
The cinematography is nostalgic and the musical numbers are for the most part quite good. I liked them except for the Glee like freeway opening number. Generally they were not over done. Less is more. The romantic Observatory number is a standout.
The story of a the different careers of music and acting pulling them apart is a familiar one. The modern twist is the poignant ending and what if flashback. They could have made things work if she had just gone back to him after her movie. A happy ending would have been too old fashioned I guess. But the story is a bit of a downer.
Ryan Gosling - kudos to him for singing and dancing. Not many successful screen actors of his generation are capable of it. He doesn't have a Broadway caliber voice by any means or snappiness in his dancing but it doesn't matter - it's his screen presence that brings in the crowds. Emma Stone is slim and dances satisfactorily - her voice is acceptable if not that lovely. There are too many closeups of her face. Her face isn't really beautiful. The two performances aren't as high a standard as those of the multi talented MGM stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood - those who could actually sing dance and act. They don't dance for very long.
It's just so good that movie makers of this generation are trying to do this type of musical on screen again - maybe it will pave the way for some successful Broadway actors and actresses to get big screen roles they deserve. The broader audience has missed out on a lot of fine talent the last couple of decades. If only the music was more sophisticated and better written.