ThisIsBigCat’s review published on Letterboxd:
After the great success of Whiplash, Damien Chazelle delivered a romantic musical that solidified his status as one of the hottest new directors of the past decade. Right from the beginning, La La Land makes me feel so joyous with the choreography of Golden Age MGM musicals and the colors of Jacques Demy. It's a homage to Hollywood, but it works well because the film embraces more traditional filmmaking styles and otherworldly experiences. The cinematography and lighting are so beautiful to look at. The first half is pure movie magic, but the second half grounds us back to reality. The musical numbers are more sparse and the relationship between Mia and Sebastian starts to fall apart. The last sequence reminded me a lot of An American in Paris but it actually commits to the bittersweet outcome.
As for the music by Justin Hurwitz. Honestly, I enjoyed it. They're certainly not the greatest musical numbers I've heard, and neither Emma Stone nor Ryan Gosling are natural singing performers, but they get the job done. They have a nice melody to them and they perfectly establish the emotions and mood Chazelle wanted to convey. I also wished the second half earned the bittersweet ending more.
There's one other thing that caught my attention, and it was Sebastian's narrative that jazz is dying. The one thing me and Chazelle both have in common is that we're avid jazz listeners. In the film, Sebastian joins his friend's jazz band who would later sell out to the mainstream. I'm not entirely sure if this was meant to be Chazelle's commentary on the current jazz scene. Regardless, it's a disingenuous narrative as jazz has always been a genre that constantly evolves and pushes boundaries. I'm not sure if Chazelle has ever listened to Steely Dan, lo-fi hip-hop, or even Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp a Butterfly." If you want to make jazz popular, there's no need to pigeonhole newcomers to a specific style.
Almost 8 years later, I get the impression that La La Land is better remembered than Moonlight, which beat the film at the Oscars in that infamous moment. Perhaps it's indicative of what film resonated with general audiences more. Damien Chazelle may have underwhelmed me in recent years, but this doesn't change the fact that La La Land is a magnificent accomplishment.
