Jason’s review published on Letterboxd:
Three-quarters of the way into the film, I was flirting with the notion of editing my Top 50 list to include La La Land. As the end credits were rolling, I was flirting with the notion of changing my top four to include La La Land.
I’m fully aware that both Hollywood and SoCal in general aren’t these perfect utopias that they’ve historically been idealized as, and that the sleaziness and corruption within the film industry in particular is nauseating. With that said, there’s part of me that can’t help but to romanticize the nighttime view of LA when you’re on Mulholland Drive, the charm and the aura that movie stars possess, behind the scene stories from the production process of classic films. That’s a primary reason as to why I felt so connected to the story as the characters feel this way themselves, glamorizing icons of the past such as Lauren Bacall and Miles Davis. It intentionally romanticizes that world and when I was shown glimpses into reality, into the struggles and tribulations of the aspiring artist, it added even more fuel to my fascination with these characters. There’s something compelling to me about the idea of the starving artist, perhaps because it makes for a sexier story if/when they do indeed reach the pinnacle of success or perhaps because of the bravery needed to walk that treacherous ground solely for the love of your craft.
Now this might be controversial but I did leave the film feeling a tad ambiguous about whether Emma and Ryan were genuinely in love with each other or whether they were simply in love with each other’s love and pursuit for their art (if that makes sense). But if you want to argue that those are in actuality one in the same, then I honestly won’t disagree.
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