William Wallace’s review published on Letterboxd:
In preparation for Babylon to be released in a couple weeks, I figured it’s about time that I watched this film. The only Damien Chazelle film I had seen before this was Whiplash, a film I absolutely love.
Musicals scare me. It’s hard to watch somebody in a position that would mortify me if we traded places. The second hand embarrassment is unreal when I watch most musical numbers in films, but this movie does it as perfectly as I can conceive. You can attribute it to the great choreography, the stellar direction by Chazelle, or the most obvious option- the immense talent in this film. Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, and even John Legend (who plays a pretty minimal role) are all obviously artistically gifted in plenty of mediums. There are few actors who could do what Gosling and Stone managed to do in this film, including their on-screen chemistry.
I have watched several scenes from this film over the years since its release before now. Despite having some of the more initially jaw dropping scenes “spoiled” for me, it is impossible to not be impressed. I will say that I am grateful the finale wasn’t ruined for me. Wrapping up a film with an ending like this is an enormous challenge, but the final sequence of La La Land is perfect.
I wish I didn’t wait so long to dive in, but now that I have, I can’t wait to revisit.
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