26 January 2017

Imagine Hollywood. With the big studios, the big dreams, big love, in big LA. Now, put them all together, and you have a movie. You have La la land. The movie that everyone is talking about. A movie that gives you old Hollywood with a twist of today, and a hint of tomorrow.

Words: Georgia Skondrani

 
We have a couple. Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a dreamer musician who wants to play classic traditional Jazz, and thankfully wants some day to have his own joint. Mia (Emma Stone) is an actress who works as a waitress in a cafe in the back lot of a big Hollywood studio, and wants to be a movie star. Set in 1998, we see these two try to pursue their hopes and dreams as they try to navigate the difficult society of the Hollywood industry, the parties, pr. relations, castings, and horrible bosses. In the end, they falling in love among singing and dancing and a lot of stardust.

But this movie is not a happy movie. It is a nostalgic film with a bit of bitterness in the end to remind us that not all the Hollywood stories have happy endings. La la land is a tribute to old Hollywood with classic film references like Casablanca and Singing in the rain.

The main couple has chemistry. And to be honest, I don’t think that they have to prove anything because we saw them together already in Gangster Squad and Crazy Stupid Love. 

The famous couple is supported by J.K. Simmons (Oscar winning actor), and famous musician John Legend, who both give us the surprise of their present in the movie. 

The writer and director Damien Chazelle, after “Whiplash” gives a second amazing movie, and we can see the same passion as the first one. The movie has 14 Oscar nominees, and among them one in the category of best movie and best director. 

Know that La la land is not a musical, but a movie with songs. Actors sing in the moments that they need to sing, and don’t tire you with unnecessary songs. The movie actually begins with a big song and dance number, but it’s all about putting the viewer in a happy, old Hollywood mood. 

Costumes by Mary Zophres built the characters’ attitude and gives the audience a little glimpse  into their personalities with colorful dresses for Emma Stone and costumes for Ryan Gosling. 

In the end, La la land is not what it seems. It’s a movie about dreams and relationships. And as the movie quote says, its a tribute for the fools who dream…

Photos: imdb.com