Charming, engaging and visually intriguing

Rating: 9/10 (1 January 2017)

I have now seen the film that WILL WIN the Oscar for Best Picture of 2016 - LA LA LAND.
Did I mention it was a musical?
Directed by Damien Chazelle (Whiplash), LA LA LAND is a love letter to Los Angeles, Hollywood and the Movie Musicals of the 40's and early '50's sprinkled in with a healthy dose of 2016 reality. The images are lush and fantastical, the music is emminently hummable, the dance numbers are sharp and to the point and the performances of the two leads are charming and engaging.
Starring Emma Stone as Mia, an aspiring actress, she meets Jazz pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) - love, fantasy, songs and dance ensue.
There are times when you see a film and you think "No one but this person could play this role." Recent examples of this are JK Simmons in WHIPLASH, Cate Blanchett in BLUE JASMINE and Javier Bardem in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. Such is the case with Emma Stone's portrayal as Mia. Her aspiring actress is charming, eager, enthusiastic, jaded, naive and worldly - often at the same time. Her dancing is sharp and "spot-on" while her singing is very good.
Fairing less well in the singing category is Gosling. While his singing is better than other "actor/singers" like Pierce Brosnan in MAMA MIA or Russell Crowe in LES MISERABLES, I would rate Gosling's singing as "passably agreeable". Fortunately, his character is a pianist, so he spends more time on the keyboards and less time singing. But when he gets up from behind the piano and interacts - and dances - with Stone, the magic happens. There is great chemistry between the two leads and that chemistry and charm radiates the screen and pours out into the audience.
Special notice needs to be made of the choreography from Mandy Moore (Dancing with the Stars) - it is spectacular and perfect for the mood and feeling of this film. At times, when one sees a musical, the dancing stops the story. In LA LA LAND the choreography enhanced and furthered the story and I can't wait to see this film again just to see the musical numbers and the choreography.
Director Chazelle shares with us a vision. The Cinematography and images portrayed are intriguing and beautiful and the story and acting moves along crisply (for the most part). The film was also written by Chazelle and it is clear that he had a clear idea in his head that he did not waver to put on film.
Is it a perfect film? No. The film drags abit at about the 2/3 mark and the ending isn't exactly what I was expecting, but was appropos for what Director Chazelle set us up for. I see multiple Academy Award nominations for this film and wouldn't be surprised to see multiple trophies carried home - Costume, Design, Cinematography, Score, Song, Director and (especially) Actress (Stone) and Film.
9 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)