A New Refreshing Approach to Musical Dance

Rating: 8/10 (12 January 2019)

18 December 2016. La La Land (2016). In a way, La La Land is its own movie genre, a fusion of musical and drama that in just a few places doesn't seem to completely fuse well together as a smooth jazz duet. The few discordant notes arise from its lack of a full range of musical variety as in Moulin Rouge (2001), Chicago (2002), Mama Mia!!! (2008), or even West Side Story (1961). In one place, the music almost becomes repetitively dull and monotonous. In most other places, however, the music is amazingly Broadway of the highest sparkly quality, dazzling in its choreographic display, captivating sound and creative photography in Birdman (2014) style. At a few other places in the movie, the serious prolonged drama comes forth that threatens to crack the musical fantasy mood but holds together. This bold and risky venture manages to reveal the refreshing potential of a newly minted theatrical approach to filmmaking. Even the ending scenes, even though unsettling, offer up a much more mature realistic and surprisingly satisfying musical wrap-up.
The dramatic romantic storyline is suggestive of the trials and tribulations from My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (2010), My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), If Only (2004), Days of Wine and Roses (1962), Roman Holiday (1952), Sliding Doors (1998), Bridges of Madison County (1995), A Man and A Woman (1966), and even Nanny Diaries (2007).