A lively supercut of Classic musicals

Rating: 6/10 (21 January 2017)

It's been decades since a studio produced the kind of colorful musical fantasy that "La La Land" so affectionately salutes, but writer-director Damien Chazelle is the guy who done the job perfectly. It is high-concept pastiche, filled with beautiful people, beautiful movement, and beautiful colors. At its best, "La La Land" probes the irony of its existence, celebrating the greatness of a bygone era in the context of changing times. As a drama, this is less nourishing than the heritage it pays tribute to. But for Chazelle, the story is just a slight rib around which he builds a modern rhapsody. So in spite of its flaws, La La Land has moments of pleasure and satisfaction that are worth the price of admission. It's not that it's a bad movie; it's just not an outstanding entertainment, the way great movies (especially musicals) should be. I go with 3.5/5 for the musical drama by Damien Chazelle and I do think that it is the frontrunner for the Oscars.