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| From: http://thetorchentertainmentguide.com/bartons-movie-reviews-lff-special-la-la-land/ |
Logline: A jazz pianist falls for an aspiring actress in Los Angeles.
At first we fail and then we try again and again and again. La La Land sets it's tone in the very beginning with a broadway style musical number of dancing drivers stuck in the infamous LA traffic. Initially, I thought that it'll end up being a song and dance musical throughout, instead it hit much closer to home. The musical aspect of this film is in fact just the cherry on top for this story, not overshadowing the romantic dramedy for a moment.
Mia (Emma Stone) encounters Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) in an unconventional "meet cute", whereby Sebastian honks at Mia in traffic while she was distracted rehearsing her lines for the upcoming audition. This act comes back in crucial moments of the film, much like a well placed punctuation, giving us a much needed comedic breather.
One scene in particular really struck a chord with me, especially with what I'm going through now. It was the scene when all is lost for Mia as she retreats back home. Sebastian finds her to tell her about an invitation to an audition, because of her personal play. Mia goes on about failing for so long and sees no point on failing once again. But Sebastian convinces her in exasperation, about how she has already gotten so far and chooses to let her decide, be there or don't. I have not failed nearly enough to come close to how Mia feels. But, living in a society that doesn't actively encourage the creatives, I get what's it like to be under-appreciated. In the fantastic irony of reality, people consume nothing but media and products designed by none other than the creatives.
Robert Mckee once wrote "Reality is relentlessly ironic, and this is why stories that end in irony tend to last the longest through time, travel the widest in the world, and draw the greatest love and respect from audiences."
La La Land perfectly captures this sentiment in it's characters. Sebastian is fired from his original job because he didn't want to be a circus act that plays whatever he's told to. After falling in love with Mia, he is reaffirmed in his goal of preserving the tradition of jazz by opening a bar of his own.
Then through the same person who inspired him to hold onto his dreams, we see him ultimately changing his beliefs for his perceived definition of a practical reality. Trading the passion for traditional jazz for a well paying job in a band that plays a modern version of pop-orientated music.
Mia leaves her business drone of a boyfriend for Sebastian, he reinforces her passion to be an actress, even encouraging her to be a revolutionary. She writes a personal single-actress play which flops with a poor turn out. Yet, because of the play, a casting director invites her to an audition where she gets her big break in a 5 year film project that propelled her into stardom.
In a pleasant surprise, the film shows us an alternate possibility, one in which girl meets boy, girl falls for boy, every obstacle is easily conquered like movie magic, ending with a happily ever after. This glimpse into want could have been satisfies the wants of the audience, and it ends as quickly as it started, pulling us back into reality. Although both characters get what they want in the end, it stays grounded in the irony of reality. The ending isn't what a traditional romance demands, and yet that's what makes it so perfect.
My Rating: 4/4
Cheers
Sman
