So are you a romantic or cynic?

Rating: 6/10 (15 January 2017)

I was very much looking forward to La La Land, being a fan of old Hollywood musicals the likes of Fred and Ginger, etc. It was disappointing, because it seemed like watching two different movies - the whimsical romantic comedy musical and the realistic gut-wrenching drama.
The beginning sets you up feeling like you're on cloud nine and you might even forget neither of the two actors can really sing or be remotely comparable to old musicals in terms of dancing ability. And really, it's okay. We don't need a technically amazing singing and dancing pair of actors, because that's not what Hollywood is like today. The feel of the bygone musical era was there in La La Land and it was enough to make you feel good about life.
...and then the feeling is snatched from you in the second half and you wonder what the heck happened. It's not even "reality," it's pure old cynicism, and in any other movie, this would have been tolerated, but a movie which set its mind up to be a delightful jazz tapping number, it's nothing short of a betrayal.
For a movie talking of pipe dreams, when does a dream become so fixed you're unwilling to compromise or look past it to make your life more enjoyable? While some people find there's nothing wrong with staying constant and going after what you want, some people understand life's a little more dynamic and staying true to an original dream can be equally toxic. It's called adaptation. I'm not sure Chazelle was trying to be ironic or not with La La Land. Therefore, I can't seriously recommend this as best picture or inspiring, but I have to admit, at least it presented jazz in a good light, so yay? To add, acting is great. Music has a few haunting, dreamy, and often melancholic hooks to keep you humming along. Dancing is decent for today's Hollywood. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone did a superb job, especially Gosling. He stole the show with his piano-playing performance and deserves whatever accolades he receives. It's just, to my dismay and horror, the story falls flat on its face and easily ruins the movie from becoming any greater.
In summary, this is the ultimate movie to test whether you're a romantic or a cynic. Turns out I'm not as much of the latter as I thought I was and therein lies the problem of being able to fully enjoy La La Land. A big pity. 6/10