Hits the right notes

Rating: 8/10 (14 March 2020)

I'll be honest. Musicals are probably my least favourite genre. They simply do not interest me. After hearing the acclaim this film has gotten and the fact that it's directed by Damien Chazelle, I decided to give it a go. This is the best musical I've seen so far.
La La Land follows Mia, an aspiring actress, and Sebastian, a pianist, who fall in love whilst trying to achieve their aspirations for the future.
Before seeing the movie, I wondered what all the hype surrounding La La Land was. After watching it I was extremely impressed by Chazelle's vision for the movie as well as the performances by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. This movie starts off with an amazing song and dance number that looks like it's done in one take and lasts for five minutes. This is just one of many astounding musical moments. Not that just but the way each scene flows into a musical number was handled immensely well. Usually when people burst into song and dance, I tend to roll my eyes but I loved every single song and dance in La La Land. The long takes, stunning camerawork and choreography made me realise how passionate Chazelle was towards filmmaking and music. It wasn't just the aesthetics but the actual songs were memorable. It's been a while since I watched the film and the songs are still playing in my head.
If that already wasn't enough, the performances are stellar. I believe this is a career best performance from Emma Stone. She was fabulous. Ryan Gosling is always a win and his chemistry with Stone is perfect. Their romance is believable and you root for them through the entire journey. There is an iconic dance sequence involving them both and seeing them dance for the first time was exciting.
Whilst the story isn't anything new and rather quite predictable, the message that it's trying to tell you has so much heart. Many people say this film is a love letter to LA and that is evident through the gorgeous cinematography of the city but I think it's a film for people who have dreams and want to achieve their goals to be successful in the future. Plus the film pokes fun at Hollywood through its representation of Hollywood parties and auditions.
Damien Chazelle deserves all the praise for his creative vision on this film. He's slowly becoming one of my favourite directors working today. With Whiplash and La La Land, I feel he will go very far. La La Land is filled with incredible musical numbers, beautiful cinematography and terrific performances by both leads that culminates in a finale that will bring out the tissues.