La La Land
Ethan ☔️

Review by Ethan ☔️ Patron

La La Land 2016

★★★★★

Rewatched 24 Jul 2019

Ethan attempts to improve his awful writing skills by reviewing his 50 favorite movies #12

“It's pretty strange that we keep running into each other. 
Maybe it means something. 
I doubt it. 
Yeah, I didn't think so.”

When I first saw La La Land in theaters all I could see was a lively, colorful celebration of the classic Hollywood style, with a classic romance, witty lines, and style for ages.

Now however, 3 years later and getting ready to enter college, I see a film that’s torn between the retro and the modern. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s that fusion of an old Hollywood story with a modern twist that elevates La La Land from great to a masterpiece. Chazelle masterfully mixes the two styles, using the old-school dance numbers (usually covered in one shot) and numerous references to classic cinema along with a modern love story that creates a feeling of being both of its time and completely separate from it. This would have fit very nicely into the Astaire-Rogers or Gene Kelly technicolor extravaganzas of the 50’s or right next to the edginess of Cabaret. It’s ability to feel like all of these periods of musicals makes it feel like something completely new.

But it wouldn’t be so well regarded if it didn’t do anything new, and the sucker punch of the last 20 minutes really provide the emotional punch that the movie had been building up to (the lack of emotion was one of the chief problems I had with Moonlight) and help bring the theme of pursuing love vs career to the forefront. You can’t have it all, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be happy. And the absolutely wonderful fantasy sequence allows the audience to have their cake and eat it to, so that when we get to that last heartbreaking smile, it feel inevitable, earned, and perfect all at the same time.

I know nothing that I’ve said in this review is at all new or groundbreaking, but La La Land goes for a very specific tone and feel, and it succeeds at it, so why not celebrate it?

Current List Position: 5/12

Up Next: The Landmark Sci-Fi Horror movie that helped launch a new wave of blockbusters 

Thanks for sticking it out guys if you have anything I could work on I’d love the feedback!

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