Watching La La Land is every bit as enjoyable as stepping back in time to the worlds of Singing in the Rain and An American in Paris, but unlike the musicals of the 50s, there’s something deeper lurking underneath. It hits upon our collective nostalgia for a time (that never truly existed) where things were more simple and wholesome. I found myself smiling from ear-to-ear as I watched Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling tap dance across the screen, with the city lights of Los Angeles twinkling in the distance. At the same time, the film seems to recognize the frivolity of these gleaming Hollywood musicals from the past in its deeper themes of ambition despite adversity. As I walked out of the theater, I wondered, did I enjoy this because it reminds me of great old Hollywood films or because it’s something entirely new?
La La Land acknowledges its own nostalgia and even pokes fun at it. In some ways, Stone’s one woman show in the narrative acts as stand in for the film itself. Like this unconventional film, the play acts as an opportunity for its maker to stand out and gain recognition. The play is a risk for her character and one that we all dearly hope pays off, even though we never see more than a glimpse of the play itself as the story unfolds. This is her big break, the way to distinguish herself and become extraordinary. Her one criticism: is it too nostalgic?
If we accept the play as a meta stand in for the movie, the answer is decidedly “yes”. The director, Damien Chazelle, relies heavily on old Hollywood tropes in his envisioning of the film. Painted set pieces, dramatic lighting shifts, surging music, vintage looking costumes and even the use of film stock itself, all create a world similar to the musicals of the 50s and 60s. The now clichéd spotlight effect was overused and in many cases, shots were entirely too dark, muddling otherwise clever cinematic effects such as referencing the famous trombone dolly zoom.
La La Land tries very hard to be a classic Technicolor musical. It’s visually captivating, but often feels forced. While Stone looks lovely in her bright, colorful costumes, the presence of so many extras also in primary colored garb seems excessive and reminiscent of 90s teen stock photos. The film isn’t a classic Hollywood musical, nor should it be. The fact is, musicals fell out of popularity for a reason. While fantastic dance numbers, Broadway belting, and extravagant costumes are all fun spectacles, they also seem contrived to a modern audience. Part of the reason for this is that Hollywood musicals would often prioritize singing and dancing abilities over acting skills and chemistry when casting their lead actors. Or worse, they would cast a fabulous lead actor like Audrey Hepburn and then dub over their voice with a different singer. In fact, they pretty much dubbed everything. Watch Richard Harris perform “Camelot” in Camelot and you’ll see what I mean (still a great song though).
What La La Land gets wonderfully right is it’s casting. Stone and Gosling are a revelation to watch on screen. They have the charisma of old Hollywood greats, but also the rawness and intensity that you would expect from two such well respected actors. Their chemistry is explosive, yet still sweet. This deft navigation between levity and profundity is the success of the film. That said, Gosling and Stone are the reason I smiled the whole way through. I didn’t mind that they couldn’t belt their musical numbers like Broadway stars or perform Gene Kelly like tap dancing extravaganzas. They drew me in to their story. In fact, I was bothered when at the climax of the fabulous dance scene at Griffith Observatory, Chazelle chose to depict the characters in silhouette with the obvious intention of putting in professional ballroom dancing body doubles. While the shot was lovely, I would have much rather seen Gosling’s causal flare and Stone’s animated exuberance in the dancing rather than professional flips and dips.
The film’s power derives from its moments of realness. The musical numbers don’t appear to be dubbed, which lends them an authenticity that old Hollywood films lack. Also, it digs beneath the surface of the Hollywood aspirations story, depicting the struggle and sacrifices performers often make to succeed. The fact that Chazelle exposes the realities of life as a performer in Hollywood, separates La La Land from the more sugar coated musicals of the past. At times Chazelle even flies in the face of classic Hollywood tropes, for example the romantic meet cute between the two main actors where Stone flips a road raged Gosling off in bumper to bumper LA traffic. In relatable scenes like this, we see a glimmer of something new peeking through.
La La Land has one foot in the past and one foot in the present. Nothing summarizes this dilemma better than the film itself when Gosling grapples with the fact that the jazz music he holds so dear is dying out; becoming a nostalgic piece of the past. This problem of relevance fails to be solved in the film. Gosling opens an old-timey jazz club and attracts a young audience, seemingly due to pure charisma on his part. While acceptable as an ending to a fictional story, such a feat would likely be unachievable in the real present day entertainment industry.
Unrealistic fantasies aside, with this film, Chazelle begins to touch on what could be a tangible innovation in the musical genre. He builds a beautiful, exuberant world and fills it with complex characters. Yet, the film fails to do itself justice by relying too heavily on what’s expected from a Hollywood musical rather than focusing on the elements that make it special and innovative. The final sequence however acts as a saving grace. In it, a now estranged Stone watches Gosling play the piano and imagines how their lives could have been different. The scene is visually lush, drawing on the classic Hollywood aesthetic with a dreamlike quality, but it’s also grounded in the struggle of Stone’s character. While we watch her dance across the starlit Seine river in Gosling’s arms, we understand both her regret at losing the man she loved and also, her joy in realizing that by letting each other go, they both achieved their dreams. In this scene, Chazelle may be paving the way for a more relatable, modern Hollywood musical.