La La Land is a 2016 musical/romance written and directed by Damien Chazelle. This movie stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a struggling jazz pianist and an aspiring actress. Emma Stone plays the female lead, Mia Dolan who is a girl from Nevada trying her best to make it as an actor in Los Angeles. She works as a barista at a cafe on the Warner Brothers lot, which is the lot where films and televisions are filmed. While juggling her job as a barista, Mia is also continuously searching and attending auditions desperately trying to get a role. Early on in the movie, Mia and her roommates decide to go to a party where she meets the male lead, Sebastian Wilder. Sebastian is a jazz pianist who got fired from his job at the party due to the fact he refused to play Christmas music. As Sebastian is storming out of the party, Mia makes an attempt to compliment his playing, but while doing so, Sebastian storms off due to his anger and disappointment. Although they didn’t necessarily start on the right foot, fate brings them back together months later and the two instantly click.
There are so many aspects in this movie that help make La La Land stand out. The main aspect would have to be the soundtrack. The music in this movie was composed by Justin Hurwitz who is best known for his long-term collaboration with director Damien Chazelle. The music blends perfectly with the story and truly compliments every montage very well. The many uses of instruments such as flutes, harps, and clarinets beautifully capture the love and romance between Mia and Sebastian’s relationship. “The soundtrack is lit.” said freshman Mauricio Cruz. The most known, and best song in this entire movie is “Mia & Sebastians Theme.” It is the emotional center of the entire soundtrack. This song truly connects the last puzzle piece at the end of the movie even though it has no lyrics.
La La Land is a musical, and everybody knows musicals are not complete without amazing choreography. The choreography in this movie is absolute perfection. The main dance styles featured in this movie are jazz, contemporary, and tap. All of the dances are choreographed by Samantha Jo Moore (more commonly known as Mandy Moore). Damien Chazelle went through 40 choreographers before he found the perfect fit and he made the right choice. Samantha Jo Moore truly put so much effort into making these dances blend seamlessly with the story and it shows. The way Mia and Sebastian dance together throughout this movie shows how in love the two characters are and also shows how their bonds grow throughout the film. Dancing is a way of self-expression where your body speaks for you. Adding all of this choreography is the perfect touch in this movie.
Another favorite aspect of mine in this movie has to be the scenery. There were so many scenes in this film that caught my eye while watching. A beautiful starlit tap dance in Hollywood Hills where Mia and Sebastian are tap dancing to the movie’s original song “A Lovely Night” was one of my top 2 favorite scenes in the entire film. Something else that many people may not notice at first, is that colors actually take a huge role in the storytelling throughout the movie. They use color to depict the relationship between Mia and Sebastian. While watching this movie, make sure to take notice of the vivid colors that correspond to their relationship. When I first watched La La Land, I took zero notice of any of the colors, but after finding out about how the colors actually told a story, I rewatched the movie and watching it while noticing the colors gave me a completely new perspective of the movie and made me fall in love with this film even more.
Everyone that was a part of producing this movie did an absolutely fantastic job. One of the main reasons why this movie stands out is because of how Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone pursue their roles. While you watch this movie, you get so dragged into it to the point where it makes you feel as if you’re experiencing everything with the two characters. This goes to show what an amazing acting job Ryan and Emma did. Their delivery is natural and they are amazing at expressing the feelings of the characters they play. The way they act seems like they just dive into the characters’ hearts and feelings that they’re playing.
If you have not watched La La Land yet this is your sign to do so! This movie is a complete masterpiece and is unlike any other. Things such as the choreography, soundtrack, and the way they used colors in this movie are all aspects that make this film the beautiful piece of art that it is. La La Land will forever be one of my all-time favorite movies. It instantly hooks you from the beginning and will eventually have your heart fluttering at the end. Damien Chazelle truly outdid himself with this film.
