Suit the Production Scale to the Script, the Script to the Production Scale

Rating: 8/10 (6 February 2017)

"La La Land" is Damien Chazelle's second major feature, following "Whiplash" two years ago. The earlier release helped define Chazelle's cinematic signature: a love of jazz; highly kinetic cinematography; a fondness for chiaroscuro shots; sharp editing; and tightly focused character relationships. "La La Land" expands this signature somewhat, adding a broader color palette, and accentuating the kinetic visuals with fine (and believable) choreography. In doing so, he's created a fine-looking and charming musical . . . so why does it feel like something is missing?
The story (written by Chazelle) deals with the relationship between a struggling actress (Emma Stone) and a talented but rigidly principled jazz musician (Ryan Gosling) as it develops over a year. Stone's character deals with rejection, while Gosling is tempted with compromised success with the band of a mainstream colleague (John Legend). The relationship between the two evolves believably for the most part, thanks to very good performances from Gosling and (especially) Stone, and largely believable dialogue between them. The songs by Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul range from the serviceable to the very good ("City of Stars" and "Audition" in particular). The dance numbers are also a lot of fun, especially the opener on a freeway and the duet between Stone and Gosling on Mulholland Drive. In fact, the latter dance number is particularly good, because we're not watching life-trained dancers performing a dazzling and intricate routine; instead, we're watching two people in character dancing because they simply have no other way of expressing how they feel at that moment. The steps may be simpler (though skillfully performed), but the latter type of number is for me much more personal and impactful than the former.
Chazelle's penchant for striking visuals is also on display here, utilizing more potent color contrasts than were utilized in "Whiplash," but still effectively using the shadows, editing, and movement to keep the viewer engaged. Perhaps the most remarkable sequences comes near the end, in which most of the key scenes are flashed back with certain elements changed, in a way that plays like a character's fleeting fantasy. This scene is so well shot, directed and edited, that it could almost stand on its own as a short film.
So why does it feel like something is missing? I think the problem lies in the fact in the fact that Chazelle's view as a director is broader than the confines of his script. While the visuals and the size of the cast are expansive, seeming to take in large swaths of Los Angeles, the script more or less limits itself exclusively to the relationship between Gosling and Stone. Although others do occasionally drift in, they're given very little to do, save provide expository dialogue -- e.g., Gosling's sister (Rosemary DeWitt) has one scene to establish herself as the practical one of the family to balance out her dreamer brother, then effectively disappears. This approach worked on a more narrow dramatic scale in "Whiplash" -- which relied upon the triangulated relationship between Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, and Paul Reiser -- such a narrow character focus makes the canvas feel somewhat empty here. Whether that is by design is not really clear, but it does make one feel that Chazelle was so thrilled with the Gosling-Stone relationship, that he forgot that the people around them should have more than one dimension, lest they come off more as props than characters.
Is this problem fatal -- no. "La La Land" is still a fun, well-edited, choreographed and directed musical with two very good lead performances. Had Chazelle better scaled the production to the script, or vice-versa, however, it could have been something even more remarkable.