Not fully a musical technically, but what a musical!

Rating: Null/10 (1 January 2017)

"La La Land" is the best musical that Hollywood has to offer for a long, long time. Yes, I split hair. A basic characteristic of a Broadway musical is that the music numbers are very much a part of the show in entirety, with a pivotal function of advancing the story. The motion picture screen however offers more flexibility. "La La Land" has a story that is told first and foremost by the superb acting of the two leads. The musical numbers augment but do not subsume their acting performance
If your movie viewing goes back to the 50s and 60s, the opening frame with the once familiar "Cinemascope" routine will right away grab your attention. As you go along, things from the colour palette of the picture to the unabashed Ginger Rogers-Fred Astaire routine confirm the walk in retro land. But make no mistake about it. This is L.A. of today when we live and die by smart cell phones.
The opening number, "Another day of sun", is set on a freeway. Using everything from steel band to hula hoop to skate board, the ensemble of incidental drivers stuck in a traffic jam generate an energy level that reminds me of Irving Berlin's "There's no business like show business" (not a very good comparison, I confess). But you don't see them again. In fact, this movie has little by way of support cast (J.K. Simmons fans, be forewarned – he is no more than a cameo). Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling carry the whole show. They are, of course, good enough, but that is a gross understatement. They are riveting.
The story is anything but original, but it is in the telling and portraying that it shines. They play two young people each with a passion for an art and a commitment for its fulfilment. Mia is a struggling actress, struggling for six years going from one frustrating audition to another, making ends meet by working as a barista. Seb's (for Sebastian) predicaments are all too similar, with traditional jazz as his passion but playing cheap music in a bar. The trajectory is predictable: they meet (with a rocky start, as usual), they fall in love, they move in together, their cup runneth over with love. Then comes the reality of hard choice between love and career.
What puts this story a notch above the familiar run-of-the-mill fodder is that little additional depth. The touring band he joins is rewarding both financially and emotionally (applauses and all that) but deep down there is the question of whether he truly likes the kind of music to which he has adapted himself. What about his dream of opening a small jazz club for only purists? She is always there to be his conscience, challenging him. And this works both ways. When her self-confidence is progressively gnawed away he is there to shake her up, even when they have already broken up. "I am always gonna love you", they say to each other. But this transcends just romantic love. It is an artist empathizing with, and loving the passion and commitment of another.
I shall be negligent if I gloss over the musical aspect. Both of the leads are actors before singers and dancers. But they are more than competent in these other departments. The witty song-and-dance number "A lovely night" is quite a treat to the eyes and their rendition of the theme song "City of Stars" (Golden Globe nominated) touches the heart.
The ending sequence is a master stroke. It is what the magic of motion picture can give you (yes, it can be done skilfully on stage too, but not quite with the magic of the movie screen). You emerge from the cinema with a kind of lingering bitter-sweet magic. Then, back in reality, you will say to yourself, they are not doing too badly after all, when you think of places like Aleppo.