La La Land

The only musical since Moulin Rouge! that is not only artistically beautiful, but also internally fragile. The most poetic romance since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. And maybe the ”cutest” movie ever, with its heart on its sleeve. It is a wonderful tribute to film, music, love and the city of stars (pardon, angels), which won’t give you anything for free. Damien Chazelle is a game changer; he understands much more deeply than anyone else. And he does what he wants without disturbing the perfect fulfillment of the genre template. In short, he’s the greatest new filmmaking talent of this decade. (01/22/2017)

Am I supposed to feel touched by a stupid romance between two unlikeable, narcissistic elitarians? Am I supposed to suffer because of their first world problems? All because of a film with a plot disguised as a ridiculously banal allegory of the four seasons that is more see-through than Casper the ghost? Fuck no! There is plenty to praise (the random stage sets, a couple of cute moments, the last ten minutes or so – that would have worked better with more likeable characters), but if this is supposed to be an unrivalled favourite for this year’s Oscars, kiss my ass! No LA-LA here for me, massive disappointment. PS: I’m still thinking why this film didn’t work for me (because I really thought I would like it). The main reason I see is that the initial musical build-up of the relationship doesn’t manage (at least for me) to lay down a sufficiently strong foundation for the feelings in the ambitious non-musical ending. (01/04/2017)

I'm not denying that it has the intrinsic energy and impressive technical processing, but I'm not willing to deal with the fact that the musical interludes actually hurt it (the second half, which more or less gets by without them, is much better than the first). In addition, the lavish kitsch framing the story of the supposedly naive but in many ways self-centered narcissists is actually annoying. What I want from Chazelle is any genre film where the music will be a means, not an end. Given his age, he has unique skills. (01/05/2017)

To be honest, musicals have never been and never will be my cup of rooibos. On the other hand, though, Damien Chazelle is a lure that I wouldn’t like to miss out on. At least because of Whiplash, which was perfection. You see, despite its plain premise, La La Land has great dance numbers, a perfect couple in the form of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, some very good songs and an almost perfect final scene, which any lover of films who believes that movies are made mainly to entertain shouldn’t miss out on. However, the entire film doesn’t have only these few strengths, it also proves that Damien Chazelle is not only a precise filmmaker, but also a great lover of jazz music with whom it can be expected that he will be forcing his love for jazz on us a couple more times in the future. And I for one will not mind at all. (01/21/2017)

A gem where Damien Chazelle beautifully led me as a viewer. It all looks and sounds beautiful, but I had a problem adjusting to the fact that La La Land is too retro and a tribute to old musicals. But the director saves the strong emotions, the brutally truthful moments, and a slightly harsher treatment of the protagonists for the last third. That truly broke me. And it is precisely the contrast between the beautiful dreamlike world full of color and love and the reality that can be very cruel to dreamers that places La La Land among the films that simply must be seen. (05/15/2017)

A charming update of a classical musical, which, in the captivating rhythm of jazz, tells the sensual story of two souls whose paths were supposed to come together, but they just intersected. It made me so sad and was hard on my soul that I wanted to poke my brain with a needle from a turntable in front of all that technicolor beauty. Do you love jazz this much too? (01/04/2017)

It´s way too much for a musical, or perhaps it´s the other way around. Hard to say. In the first third, it is also a regular musical, where one well-directed musical scene in one shot alternates with another. But then the singing fades away and what remains is (and visually pleasingly beautiful) tribute to the technicolor era of Hollywood and classical jazz. Although still in the form of a music / dance film, but not a musical in the true sense. Or, conversely, there are too many songs and the opening third should also have done without them like most of the rest of the footage. But it should definitely have been fifteen or twenty minutes shorter. However, what saves the movie is the "we always have our beloved Paris" bittersweet ending. During this one, I would be willing to ignore every drawback. (01/04/2017)

Here's to the ones who dream. About the fact that the factory of dreams can give everything or take everything. About dreams that sooner or later must collide with reality. And finally, about the fact that when someone says they will never stop loving you, it is possible that they really mean it. From the first published image of the dancing couple, I knew that Damien Chazelle was making this film for people like me. And with the epilogue, he proved that he left a considerable part of his heart in La La Land. (01/05/2017)

It's been a long time since this genre has been this good. I myself don't understand what the magic is and where that lightness comes from, which so many others are usually lacking. I can't even imagine how hard it must be to gauge the line between genius and kitsch in film music. You can really smell the talent. And Ryan, with Emma by his side, just lays it on like he was born for the part. 4.5 stars. (04/17/2017)

Cute, thought-provoking, sad and happy. I like the realistic approach that Chazelle grafted onto the musical structure and its completeness. The dramatic arc in La La Land works incredibly well and indicates an active decision to make very alternative, unusual choices. Gosling and Stone are perfect. (01/24/2017)

More of a play on a musical, too artificial for my taste and fails to capture the heart. Good music, yes, skillfully orchestrated dance numbers, properly kitsch set and the magical Emma Stone... But if it weren't for the (thankfully impressive) finale, I wouldn't have gotten rid of the feeling for the whole two hours that someone is just showing off, fulfilling a dream to make something that will look like what is no longer being made, and somehow forgetting about the viewer. (01/17/2017)

Although the overall enthusiasm is greatly degraded by the fact that the music at times serves more Chazelle's platonic love for it than the dramatic development of the story (as an example, the gorgeously edited cinema scene is for me the most beautiful romantic ever, but then, at its climax, when I was almost kissing Emma, it’s replaced by a visually lovely but emotionally not so powerful musical sequence), yet La La Land is undoubtedly the most beautiful Hollywood musical since Moulin Rouge. At first, it lacks dramaturgical lightness and momentum, and the dance numbers don't overflow with much visual splendour, but Chazelle gradually and powerfully tightens Ryan's and Emma's shoelaces and stretches them through an amazing dream that everyone wants to (and should) try to live. Let's eat, let's live, let's dance and let's not regret anything. The last fifteen minutes: Baz Luhrmann feat. Wes Anderson… (02/26/2017)

I couldn't miss La La Land in the cinema just because of the fuss that has been made about this film collecting one award after another at all kinds of festivals and awards shows. I have to admit that from a technical point of view it is very well done, for example, right from the beginning I was blown away by the scene without any editing with perfect choreography, or the other music and dance sequences. As for the actors, the chemistry between them was good – we’ve already seen it in Crazy, Stupid Love. I also have to commend the unconventional Hollywood ending. In short, a film full colours and visually captivating, which, although I’m not giving it a full score, still deserves the viewer's attention. But everything in moderation! P. S. I would be quite impressed if La La Land took more than eleven statuettes from the Oscars. That's just for good measure! (02/16/2017)

La La Land is the film of 2016. Both Ryan and Emma Stone gave absolutely incredible performances here, perhaps some of the best acting I've seen in a long time. Their chemistry and professional collaboration with one another was absolutely perfect and they sparkled from the first second to the final full stop. The music was beautiful and despite my dislike of this kind of genre in general, I surrendered to it right from the start. No film released this year has evoked so many different positive emotions and thoughts. Damien Chazelle is a very fast rising star and I can't wait to see more of his works. (12/28/2016)

A beautiful film with great colors, and great ideas intertwining reality with what could be, especially in the final scene, which is simply stunning. There's excellent chemistry between Emma and Ryan, but then there's also the story, which is overall mundane and seems too simplistic considering how beautifully it's shot. (02/01/2017)

“They don’t make films like this anymore” – for once, I have to agree with the trailer, I really wasn’t expecting an experience like this. The opening scene put a smile on my face and it didn't let go until the closing credits, it even stuck with me until I got home. On top of that, I kept humming that beautiful piano melody, and I wanted to dance. For the first time in a long time, I encountered a joke that was neither forced nor cheap. This is what a musical should look like: impressive sets, masterful cinematography, music, and songs that are melodic, haunting, catchy, not like Les Misérables, where 95 percent of the songs lack melody and are forgettable. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling just belong together on screen, just like Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas once did, so I hope we'll see them together again. The whole time I waited for the disappointment to come, for me to think “this could have been a great film, but they really messed it up”. But to my surprise, nothing like that happened. An experience as it should be, a perfect treat for the soul. (01/05/2017)

Technically distinguished, excellent acting performances and an awesome soundtrack! I generally like musicals, but La La Land is not just a great musical. It's a wonderfully romantic and likeable movie with a bitter touch of reality, which I rank among the top on my personal list of favorite musicals. Emma Stone is always great, but Ryan Gosling has become one of the biggest charmers in Hollywood in recent years. I'm now going to listen to the soundtrack again and then some. (01/19/2017)