La La Land Film Review: Fools and Dreams

La La Land balances its homages to great musicals of the past while injecting a fresh take on cinematic romance and chasing dreams.

La La Land tracks Mia and Seb’s lives as they intersect in Los Angeles. While pursuing their passions—Mia as an actress and Seb as a jazz musician—they begin to fall in love, even though their first couple meetings don’t go so well. Looking back almost 10 years since its release (the film premiered in Venice on August 31, 2016 before its wide release in December), it’s easy to see how miraculous this movie truly is. A jazzy triumph on every level, the movie pulls off a rare feat: reminding us of the films we love while also feeling fresh and original. 

While many people probably love the film for its performances and its music, we should not simply gloss over the other incredible filmmaking qualities on display. Director Damien Chazelle (Whiplash) turns the frenetic energy up to 11, whether it’s by executing a staggering faux long take during the opening “Another Day of Sun” sequence or swinging the camera frantically back and forth between the two leads in a jazz club. Chazelle closes in on the idea of chaos, a theme he also pursues visually. Seb gives an impassioned speech to Mia about the chaos of jazz music. He says: “It’s conflict. It’s compromise. It’s new every time. And it’s dying.” That last bit seems especially important to Chazelle, who layers this love story with a deep appreciation for and a drive to save the arts as we know them, a theme he continued to explore in the even more chaotic Babylon. This point feels even more relevant 10 years later, as A.I. seems hellbent on compromising those same arts.

This is distinctly a 21st century movie, one interested in answering many of the questions faced by those living in the 2010s in particular. But, simultaneously, La La Land also harkens back to the 1950s (and before) Hollywood musicals of old. One cannot watch the film without thinking of classics like Singin’ in the Rain. The—dare I say—lovely scene when Mia and Seb sing “A Lovely Night” feels pulled straight from a 1950s technicolor masterpiece. Still, one can also see the embedded ideas relevant to this specific generation. While balancing relationships, jobs, and dreams is not an issue pertaining only to those living in this particular era, the way Chazelle addresses it through his characters and their choices feels unique. Seb’s reluctance about joining a pop band with former colleague and friend Keith (John Legend, of Crow: The Legend) is one example. 

Hopefully over the last 10 years, audiences have been seeing how La La Land is no average musical romance. Featuring two all-time performances from Gosling and Stone, the movie initially disguises itself as something familiar: a love story with catchy songs. The final “what-if” sequence—again drawing inspiration from classic Hollywood and even the work of French director Jacques Demy—reveals what much of the movie has been building towards: love is more complicated than the magical movies of the past might have us believe. Chazelle and company instead want us to see the value—and the dangers—of pursuing our dreams. The film even dares us to ask what our dreams are or should be. Despite being movie magic in a nutshell, La La Land unfurls a real truth: our passions give us something to aim for, even if chasing those dreams leaves us wondering about what might have been. 

“Here’s to the fools who dream.”

La La Land is now available to watch on digital and on demand.

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