Blending classic and modern musical is possible

Rating: 9/10 (17 February 2017)

"La La Land" is nominated for a record-tying 14 categories (obviously including Best Picture) at the 2017 Oscars and it would definitely deserve the win if so. Damien Chazelle is an incredibly talented young director, with both his feature films nominated and both being the greatest achievements in musical films of the 2010s.
"La La Land" is both a love statement to the classic Hollywood musicals and a bold new direction for the genre, that never looked more done for if not for Chazelle. Sebastian and Mia both have dreams of glory and both of them are talented artists: she's a wannabe actress and he's a wannabe jazz player. For two thirds of the movie we're fooled into thinking that nothing will divert from the canon except (more or less) the setting. But little by little an attentive observer notices how intelligent the plot structure really is: the ending feels extremely sour on one hand, and yet happy on the other, which is perfectly represented with those last, beautiful smiles. Some may not like it, but a story like this manages to cover both the dreamlike state of musical characters and the new, more grounded conscience of modern filmmakers, that never touched the musical romance before.
"LLL" has a lot in common with "Whiplash" under a directorial point of view, and yet it manages to stand on its own quite well. They share a love for grand-angular shots and bold camera movements, but LLL stands out with its incredible long takes coordinated with the musical pieces. On that account, LLL stands out once more. Its all-original musics feel modern and classic at the same time and they are sided with fantastic dance choreographies (although sometimes the leads don't seem to dance perfectly, they're still actors, not professional dancers). Chazelle plays to the limit with chromatic effects throughout the movie: the colors on the scene are generally extremely bright and his use of the lens generates strange optic effects of dots of light on the side of some frames.
Stone and Gosling's performances are a true tour de force: they act brilliantly, sing lovingly and dance like they worked in Broadway all year long. As I said, the dance sections are not without imperfections, but to think what these two went through to accomplish this is simply amazing. Stone's performance is particularly noteworthy as she acts like she can't act very well, but not even that badly during her auditions, which is something any actor would want to do that well. Gosling unexpectedly shines more in the musical pieces, solidifying himself as a multifaceted talent.
"La La Land" is definitely one of the Movies of the Year 2016 as it renews a dying genre with vigor, talent and new spirit.