Four stars. Rated PG-13, for brief profanity
By Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 12.16.16
Ten minutes into this film, giddy
with excitement, I couldn’t wait to see it again.
Ninety minutes in ... the
enthusiasm had waned.
 |
| When Mia (Emma Stone) insists that she doesn't care for jazz, Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) takes her to his favorite club, in order to demonstrate why true jazz can't just be heard, but must be seen emanating from those who perform it. |
At its best, La La Land sparkles with true magic. Writer/director Damien
Chazelle’s romantic, music-laden fantasy is a true “sense of wonder” movie akin
to Moulin Rouge! or Hugo: a dazzling tour de force that
takes full advantage of the medium’s many elements.
It’s also an exhilarating throwback
to classic American and French movie musicals, particularly Gene Kelly’s
athletically graceful dance spectaculars: Singing
in the Rain, An American in Paris,
The Band Wagon and (most
particularly) the sort of terpsichorean legerdemain he wove into a creaking
floorboard and a stray section of newspaper, in Summer Stock.
Coupled with the luxuriously
romantic atmosphere of Jacques Demy’s The
Umbrellas of Cherbourg.
Chazelle obviously loves all of
these classics, just as he includes more than a few nods to Bob Fosse’s
aggressively gymnastic choreography. Chazelle also understands music’s ability
to transport us to ethereal elsewheres, and he lives and breathes the
toe-tapping, finger-snapping intensity of jazz; he demonstrated that with his
mesmerizing directorial breakout, in 2014’s Whiplash.
That film was a grinding
endurance test for its young protagonist, as he clashed with a brutal mentor en
route to becoming a master drummer. La La
Land is a much gentler saga of dreams and dreamers: of young people drawn
to Southern California in pursuit of fame and/or artistic satisfaction (not necessarily
in that order).
The simple core story is told
with the heady, tongue-tickling sparkle and fizz of expensive champagne,
Chazelle masterminding a squadron of associates who operate on full throttle:
from Linus Sandgren’s opulent cinematography to David Wasco’s enchanting
production design, from Tom Cross’ whip-cracking editing to Mary Zophres’
retro-stylish costume design, and Mandy Moore’s breathtaking choreography.
