Unfortunate Title, Tremendous Movie

Rating: 10/10 (23 December 2016)

My review of La La Land (no spoilers, but perhaps a few too many semicolons, run- on sentences, and parentheses ahead):
You should understand, for starters, that I don't like many "critically acclaimed" movies. Odds are, if it is nominated for Best Picture, I'll probably find it pretentious and tedious. I'm not a man that loves mindless action, but I do typically prefer my films a little more on the mainstream side of the aisle.
La La Land, however, walks a masterful line. It is at once funny, poignant, novel, retro, gripping, layered, and very straightforward. It is a movie that knows that - as a full-on song-and-dance musical - it cannot be taken literally; and yet, while it winks and nods at the audience, it manages to tell a serious and timeless tale. I felt the weight and import of the decisions demanded of the protagonists, and still could laugh out loud at the comedy. And laugh I did. Repeatedly. Once I let go and immersed myself in the universe of the movie (and this movie demands that you either check in or out immediately - as in literally from the opening seconds of the film), I found myself looking forward to the next inside joke and the perfect deadpan delivery by Emma Stone. The film has an infectious, innocent exuberance that carries you along on a wave of happiness, even when the subject matter gets melancholy.
Or at least, it does in the first half. If I have complaint about this picture, it is that somewhere in the final act, a kind of moroseness sets in that is out of balance with the joviality of the first half. I understand that the direction of the character development requires some tonal changes, and I don't fault the movie for it. Even factoring plot requirements into the equation, though, I felt that the movie changed character in its latter stages in a way that was unpleasantly jarring. This was not an unpardonable infraction, however; in fact, I think that the film managed to find itself in the waning minutes in a way that was powerful and sweet. As the credits began their crawl, I found myself in profound thought, not sure whether to cry from joy or sadness. Without spoiling any of the plot development, this is not a film that makes conclusions for you - it lets you reach your own decisions about its climax - but it certainly requires you to ponder.
This should be obvious. After all, isn't that the goal of any story? Yet most movies fail to so move me. It seems that most storytellers, including Chazelle himself in his previous oeuvre Whiplash, either fail to give you enough stake in the story to warrant the effort to really search your soul, or manipulate you into it through gimmick and misdirection. La La Land manages to get you there without resorting to falsehood. Any misdirection it uses in the final minutes is directly and openly atoned-for as the conclusion is reached and the viewer is left with some honest questions to ask themselves. The movie achieves this without forcing its morals upon you or foisting any political ideations into the debate.
In the end, you are left with a pleasurable experience, catchy music, good laughs, and some introspection about how Seb and Mia's shoes might fit you for a mile or so. It is unfortunately-named, and suffers from a little too much jazz-worship, and ultimately I wonder how well it will hold up on second viewing, but based solely on how much I enjoyed myself in the theater, this is my pick for best movie of the year (move aside, Rogue One, you had your week at the top), and perhaps best since Lincoln (another exception to the Best Picture rule). Your mileage may vary.
Lastly (actually penultimately - I added something else below, but don't want to edit the paragraph), a word about the film from a parent's perspective: I didn't really want to go see this film. I only went because I wanted a date with my 9 year old and I don't feel comfortable with the violence in Rogue One and have no desire to see Sing. This movie is PG 13, and after viewing, I think 13 is a good minimum age. This is not at all because of objectionable content - in fact, besides a barely audible f-bomb and some other fairly innocuous profanity and a little immodesty, there is nearly nothing to object to - but because the film doesn't shy away from subjects that are deep and mature. My daughter loved the singing and dancing and conviviality that often brightened the theater, but she didn't understand the more existential questions of purpose, fulfillment, relationships, and missed opportunities that are ultimately at the core of this film. As such, she walked away with a decidedly mixed reaction and a complaint that the movie was too long. In the end, I agree that it could use about 10 more minutes of excision - mostly in the second hour - but I believe her impression was less a fault of the movie, and more a fault of her youth. Don't hesitate to take your kids with you to see this film, but don't be surprised if they don't really get it.
I've only ever been on the front row for two films. The first was Avatar in IMAX, and now this. No film should ever be seen from the front row, but I chose two particularly bad films to so endure. Avatar for obvious reasons, and La La Land because much of the film is shot in single-take roving-camera sets and with shots that purposely put focus on both sides of the scene simultaneously for artistic and symbolic purpose. Do yourself a favor: if it is sold out, wait for the next showing rather than taking that front-row seat.