Beautifully made and uplifting

Rating: 9/10 (20 February 2017)

The trailers for La La Land didn't do much to entice me to go see it, but I have to admit that any doubts I had were wiped out of my mind the moment the film started. I couldn't believe they managed to pull off a complicated musical number in one shot on an LA freeway of all places. That's quite an opening. From there, we're introduced to our two leads - Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling - who still clearly have chemistry left over from their previous film together. It's such a joy to watch them on screen together. It's hard not to find them sympathetic. The story isn't anything we haven't seen before in stuff like A Star is Born, but the witty dialogue, stars' chemistry, and musical numbers help set it apart. Sure, Gosling and Stone are far from trained singers or dancers, but they do just fine. Their voices never soar like you'd expect from a big Broadway belter, but then again, they have a camera 3 inches away from their face.
If I had any nitpicks, it would be that the sound mixing is sometimes a bit off. In the opening musical sequence, I couldn't really understand the lyrics either due to bad mixing or the singers "whisper singing." If it's playing near you, definitely go check it out.