La La Land - review: Vibrant & Poignant

Rating: 8/10 (17 December 2016)

Damien Chazelle is a fantastic writer and director. Chazelle has made two major movies that I know about, Whiplash and La La Land, both of these movies are absolutely fantastic, and I'll definitely be looking forward to what Damien Chazelle does next.
La La Land is a good film, but I won't be adding it to my favorite 2016 movies list. However, I would watch this thing again because I liked it. I enjoyed a lot of what this movie had to offer, but I just felt like some things fell short, and it didn't reach its full potential.
La La Land: Pros & Cons
Pros:
Ryan Gosling's performance was good.
Emma Stone's performance was good.
Ryan Gosling's & Emma Stone's on-screen chemistry was sensational.
The movie was charming.
The directing was masterfully crafted.
The color scheme was vibrant.
I enjoyed the old school film vibe and I thought it blended well with its modern setting.
The dance numbers were spectacularly choreographed.
A majority of the songs were pleasant, touching, and poignant (Audition: The Fools Who Dream & The ending were the most poignant moments in the film).
Another Day of Sun, Audition: The Fools Who Dream, and The Ending were my favorite dance numbers and scenes.
Life is difficult, it's not easy to accomplish your goals, and it's particularly difficult to accomplish things when the people around you are mostly intransigent.
Cons:
There were one too many coincidences throughout the film.
I felt like some scenes were just set-up to bring certain circumstances into play.
Certain direction or execution of scene choices felt clichéd.
There wasn't an exfoliating emphasis on the two main characters.
I knew what was to be expected before the film ended.
Particular moments during certain scenes felt obligatory.
Overall, I really enjoyed La La Land for what it was. It's a musical, but it's also about never giving up on yourself. We all have dreams and goals, sometimes are dreams can seem overwhelming, but it's important to never lose sight of what we truly want for ourselves, and it's good to have someone that believes in you.
Final Grade: B+