YouHadMeAtJell-o’s review published on Letterboxd:
They don't make them like this anymore. But Damien Chazelle does.
It's difficult to avoid the hype of La La Land since its recent release here in the UK. Being a contrarian from time to time, I tried not to get caught up in it all for fear that my expectations would be too high, but once you're sat in the cinema and Californians are bursting into song in a freeway traffic jam, it's soon clear to see what all the fuss is about.
Chazelle continues to cement his place as one of the most exciting young directors in the world right now. Constantly challenging himself by attempting seemingly impossible cinematic feats, with Whiplash he made one of the best thrillers in recent years, despite the fact that it's about a drummer. Here he has made a film that should belong in the 1950s, but instead feels so fresh and dynamic that it's difficult to see why these sorts of musicals have become so unpopular. It's full of heart, excellent singing and dancing from its two irresistible stars, and an incredible turn by Ryan Gosling on the keys.
The charisma of Emma Stone and Gosling was always going to go a long way to carrying this film, but Chazelle has complimented a terrific script that highlights love, loss, compromise and hope for the 'unrealistic' dreamers of the day with downright thrilling filmmaking. Utilising complicated but dazzling long takes to get the most out of his cast and production design, it's almost enough to make Alejandro González Iñárritu blush. Here is a filmmaker in his early prime, and myself and everyone else will undoubtedly be yearning for his next film, whatever it may be.
This is the Grease for a new generation. But better.
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