La La Land
Benjamin Green

Review by Benjamin Green Pro

La La Land 2016

★★★★½

Watched 07 May 2020

Here’s to the ones who dream, foolish as they may seem


Ryan Gosling Week - Day 8 (Bonus Day)

Ryan Gosling week concludes with a musical delight and career highlight in La La Land. The film tied the record for most academy award nominations at 14 finally going on to win 6 including best director and best actress and its no wonder - La La Land breathed new life into the musical genre in desperate need of revitalising. A love letter to old Hollywood musicals, the film rediscovered old magic in a modern grounded world.

I've mentioned in a previous review that I'm a bit of a musical fan, from The Sound of Music to Singing in the Rain or Grease it's always an enjoyable experience. When you watch films daily the odd sprinkle of music provides a freshness to the art of storytelling. La La Land provides catchy and fun tunes with energetic choreography. Theres a good mix of slower songs too, such as 'City of Stars' that expresses the characters emotions with well written lyrics.

The chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone is on point, the experience of working together on two previous films (Crazy, Stupid, Love and Gangster Squad) is evident and incredibly beneficial to the believability of their romance. The development of their relationship is engrossing and eventually leads to unexpected end that allows the viewer to determine their own optimistic or pessimistic future for the characters.

Ryan Gosling Watch - as mentioned in my first Gosling review on day 1 this was about discovering new films in his filmography and rewatching some I hadn't seen in years. Gosling has taken giant strides in his career making good film choices and constantly challenging himself. La La Land was another prime example of the skill and talent he possess.

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