Brett Cogswell’s review published on Letterboxd:
I'm typically not the biggest fan of musicals, but I absolutely loved this.
The score is an obvious standout of the film, but it's definitely not the only highlight of the film.
It's bright and colourful, and when the sets do get darker you really get the contrasting pop of the colour through the wardrobe (like Emma's yellow dress) or through the lighting instead.
The editing, the dance choreography, the original songs, the cinematography, are all fantastic and you'll be drawn in for the entirety of its 129 minutes of runtime.
Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling both deliver absolutely incredible performances as Mia and Sebastian. Their chemistry is off the charts, just as it was when they played love interests in "Crazy, Stupid, Love" in 2011. Emma went back to back nominations and picked up her 1st Oscar win for the role, while Ryan earned an Oscar nom himself.
It's about having goals, knowing what you want in life, and not accepting anything less. It's about the struggle that can and usually does accompany the pursuit. The brutality of the auditioning process.
It's about love and sacrifice, helping inspire and push those that you love to accomplish their dreams even if it might be the hardest thing to do personally.
The "what if" scene is emotional and raw, it's fun, powerful, and inspiring yet crushing at the same time. Despite knowing on what they potentially missed out on, they both seem happy and proud of one another for what they accomplished.
JK Simmons back working with Chazelle, this time in a minor role, after their success with Whiplash was nice to see.
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