Good, But Don't Believe The Hyperbole

Rating: 8/10 (13 January 2017)

From the incandescent reviews that preceded this picture, I was expecting something like a cross between 'Singing in the Rain' and 'Moulin Rouge'. By the end of the opening sequence on the motorway overpass it was obvious we were going to get neither. It was all shot outdoors with naturalistic lighting. Despite this being LA, one of the sunniest places in the world, the light was poor. Shadows fell over faces, and in the night time scenes people almost disappeared, even the two leads. If they hadn't been wearing that yellow dress and a white shirt they would have disappeared altogether. Strangely, on the promo still, both characters are illuminated in a Gene Kelly like glow worthy of Cinemascope. This was disappointing to say the least. Then as the fantasy sequences began, I expected there to be a switch to full lighting, or a change of film stock to zap us into the eponymous 'La La Land' of the title. But no, these were dull and poorly lit as well. Wasted opportunities. How my wife and I yearned for Kelly or Baz Luhrman to jazz this up a bit. (Pun intended). What we got was a pretty prosaic story, with no real antagonist to thwart the couple. There was no evil boss, horrible parents, wicked sister, invading army or other McGuffin to keep them apart in the third act. All we got was a rather contrived row, which could have been sorted out with one phone call. Thousands of couples survive being on the road, or becoming a film star. Why was it so difficult for these two? I thought of Johnny Cash and June Carter. Who really did love each other forever, despite decades of troubles. Then a whole 'Sliding Doors' Alternate Universe happens, and our heroes' lives go off on an inexplicable tangent. Did neither of them pick up the phone in five years? Boy could these guys hold a grudge after one aborted dinner! So, despite being an alleged homage to Hollywood Musicals, we don't get a happy ending. I get it. To suffer for one's Art, pain is necessary, especially in Jazz or in Method Acting, but you sort of promised us one. At least in the promotional material. The acting itself however, was first rate. Both Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone were as good as ever, and did their best with the often underwritten material. For them alone the film still gets an Eight.