La La Land

La La Land – A jazz pianist and an aspiring actress are trying to make their dreams come true in the land of dreams: Hollywood. After bumping into each other a few time with less than great results, they come to fall in love thanks due sharing their passions together. But when the reality of paying bills starts to hit home who will have to compromise first, and what will that mean for their love?

La La Land (2016) – Director: Damien Chazelle

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Rating: 12

Running Length: 128 mins

Starring: Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, John Legend

Genre: Musical, Drama, Romance

REVIEW: LA LA LAND

Once upon a time big dreamlike Hollywood musicals ruled the roost. The likes of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire danced into the hearts of nations and even to this day celebrity dancing shows fawn over such glossy routines. It was only a matter of time before a movie made a comeback of such a classic genre, and ‘La La Land’ is unashamedly that movie!

From acclaimed director Damien Chazelle (the stunning ‘Whiplash’, the paranoia soaked ‘10 Clovefield Lane’, and most recently Armstrong biopic, ‘First Man’) comes a movie filled with song and dance numbers of a bygone era. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone team up (yet again) to try to realise their dreams in the land where dreams are made (or broken): Los Angeles. Despite their connection bubbling well when the tap dancing shoes come out, sadly for some reason these two never seem to sell the romance during the scenes set in reality.

Yes, the opening number on gridlocked freeway is a gloriously choreographed ode to joy and yes, our stars dancing in front of both literal and figurative stars in a tightly performed six-minute number are undoubtedly stand out moments. But tellingly these characters work better apart than together, which doesn’t bode well for a romance. Stone does her best to emote the twist and turns of their coupling and parting, but Gosling could well be in any film for the lack of sincerity in his attraction.

Unlike the super-mega smash that was ‘The Greatest Showman‘, none of the songs really stand out as ones you will be singing along once the credits have rolled. ‘La La Land’ won an embarrassing amount of award on release, perhaps because this movie elicited such nostalgia from the Hollywood soaked awards bodies. And there is no doubting it is drenched in beautiful cinematography throughout. But really the characters and plot are simply a framing device to allow such beauty to take place. This results in a gorgeous to look at but ultimately shallow film that fails to fill the size of heart it’s aiming for. Much like Hollywood itself, really.

CONTENT: IS ‘LA LA LAND’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

When stuck in a traffic jam, a man honks his horn at a woman who is distracted and hasn’t realised that the cars are now moving. He slowly drives passed her to show his annoyance to which she responds by holding up her middle finger.

There is infrequent cursing throughout the movie, most of which is mild. One strong word is used in the latter half of the movie.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘LA LA LAND’ FOR KIDS?

‘La La Land’ is definitely a movie of three parts. The first Act is mostly bursting into song and big dance numbers which should be lots of fun for children. Act 3 – where everything gets wrapped up – features more of the same. But the second Act, where conflict is thrown in, may bore younger kids. Also, as you can tell from the fact that this is the least ‘unsuitable content’ we have ever had for a review, this film is only a 12 rating due to one solitary strong use of bad language. Which begs the question, why bother using the word when without it the film could have been a PG, or even a U? Other than one strong word usage and a slow middle section, ‘La La Land’ should be very enjoyable for children who have yet to experience the song and dance of yesteryear. It’s unashamedly old school!

• Violence: 0/5
• Emotional Distress: 1/5 (one big argument between the leads – otherwise some minor upset at lost love)
• Fear Factor: 0/5
• Sexual Content: 0/5
• Bad Language: 3/5 (one strong usage, other occasional mild use)
• Dialogue: 1/5 (the argument scene over dinner has characters getting increasingly mean to each other’s dreams)
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of love, romance, following your dreams, giving up, what could be, seeing the best in people, ambition and the effects it has on loved ones and accepting less than what you truly want.

Words by Mike Record and Laura Record

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