LA LA LAND
US, 2016, 124 minutes, Colour.
Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, J. K. Simmons, John Legend, Rosemarie de Witt.
Directed by Damien Chazelle.
LA LA is Los Angeles twice! There is the city itself of which we see a great deal, as well as Hollywood, a real place as well as a Lala fantasy place.
This film has found itself on many a top 10 list for 2016, American seeming to fall in love with it. And it invites its audience to fall in love – although, perhaps a sensible warning would be to alert those who are not enthralled by musicals that they might not fall in love. It is definitely a musical, a memory of those Hollywood musicals of the past and, indeed, something of a homage to them.
You know where you sit in the cinema when the film opens with an old Cinemascope sign, freeways clogged with cars, and then one of the passengers getting out, starting to sing, followed by drivers and occupants (all young and engaging) joining in the song, joining in the dance, expertly choreographed all over the cars!
Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) becomes impatient when the driver of the car in front, Mia (Emma Stone) is too busy checking lines for her audition to move – he overtakes her and there is a mutual disregard. And this is compounded when they encounter each other in the Hollywood lot, bump into each other and Mia is covered in coffee. By chance, Mia goes to a club where Sebastian, Seb, is playing (he is a jazz lover but the manager of the restaurant wants only Christmas songs and when said improvises, he is fired), bumping roughly into Mia who wants to congratulate him.
Not the most propitious encounters for a film where you know they are going to fall in love, where they have song and dance routines in the Los Angeles streets at night, where they go to Griffith Observatory and more singing and dancing – even to special effects so that they can dance in the stars. The main song, City of Stars, has rather a lilting melody which recurs throughout the film.
The film is divided into five sections, starting in winter and going through the seasons until it is winter again.
And so, we follow Seb, his love for jazz, his composing and playing, his memories of having been betrayed by a friend, wanting to open his own club, getting the opportunity to join a band and go on tour, meanwhile getting to know Mia a better and falling in love. And we follow Mia, lots of auditions which are brief and she is dismissed, her dream that she would write a play, her writing it, rehearsing, performing, and falling in love.
It would be nice to say that everything goes smoothly – there are upsets, personal, career clashes…
What makes it a bit different from the old musical is that it gives the opportunity for audiences to look at the different events from different points of view, from tough developments and from the “typical� Hollywood ending.
The film was written and directed by Damien Chazelle who made such an impact with his music film, Whiplash (for which J. K. Simmons won his Oscar and who has been invited back by show cell to play the manager of the restaurant). So, the musical is not dead.
1. The title, Los Angeles, La La Land? The tone, the image, Hollywood? Dreams, fantasies, reality?
2. The director, his strong career? 21st-century re-creation of musicals? The homage to Hollywood musicals, plots, characters, song and dance, choreography, style?
3. The atmosphere of Los Angeles, the opening on the freeway in the traffic, the Hollywood lot, the coffee shop, apartments, clubs, rehearsals in studios, auditions, the theatre? Griffith Observatory? Suburban Nevada? The blend of reality and fantasy?
4. The musical score, the range of songs, the love the jazz, and apologia for jazz? The theme song, the theme music? The contribution of John Legend?
5. The star cast, performance, singing and dancing, romance?
6. The highlighting of the seasons, the year passing – and then winter, five years later?
7. Mia, in the car, not moving, her script? The song and dance on the freeway? At the coffee shop? Her girlfriends, the apartment, the singing, dressing up, going out, at the clubs, their encounters? Her car towed away? Passing the club, hearing Seb play? The encounter in the car, spilling the coffee, his performance?
8. Seb, his apartment, his sister and her comments, his love of jazz? Going to play, the Christmas set piece, the owner of the bar, Seb improvising, the owner dissatisfied, firing him?
9. Seb, his rough reaction to Mia when she congratulated him on his playing? Their meeting, searching for the car, the song and dance, the relationship? The later visit to Griffith Observatory, song and dance – and dancing in the stars? His life, the influence of Keith, sense of betrayal? His plann for a club, the name - Seb? The variety of jobs, playing for weddings…? Mia and her auditions, brief, the disappointments? With Greg, the date? Her rebelling? Leaving and going to see Rebel Without a Cause? Seb giving up? The film burning?
10. The seasons and the progress of Seb’s and Mia’s relationship? Her idea of the play, writing, rehearsing? Fulfilling her dream? Seb and his support?
11. Seb, the encounter with Keith, Keith’s offer, Seb agreeing, the performance, on tour? Mia’s reaction? The meal, his return, preparing it, his wanting to go on tour, Mia hurt, leaving?
12. The play, Seb having to go to the photo shoot, the satiric presentation of Seb and his variety of poses? His being late for the play, Mia leaving? The small audience, overhearing the harsh criticism?
13. Seb, alone, the challenge? Mia going home to her family, to her room, giving up the theatre? The phone call, Seb going to Nevada to tell her about the offer, the agent seeing the play, the audition?
14. Her audition, the song about her aunt in Paris? The offer of the job, away for months, in Paris?
15. Winter, but five years on? Mia marrying, her celebrity, repeating the paying for the coffee at the counter? Her husband, child? Going out, going to dinner, the clogged freeway, going to the club, Seb and his playing, her watching? The contact on the way out, the nod – goodbye?
16. The what if…? scenario, going back to their bumping into each other, a different perspective on everything, the Hollywood happy ending? And back to reality?
