The best thing about Damien Chazelle's 'La La Land' is that it's a movie anyone can relate to. Any person with aspirations of becoming something can watch Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) on screen and say "I feel just like them!"
I've been trying to look for something specific that attracted me to this film; for those who don't know, I'm not a fan of musicals. It's my least favorite genre and every time I watch one, I wish to enter the screen and hold the characters at gun point so they shut up and stop singing.
With all that being said; I did enjoy the overall tone of the movie, everything that surrounds it: from costume designs and set decoration, to lighting and visual colors, to the soundtrack and dance sequences. I think the dance scene between Mia and Sebastian in the middle night was one of my favorite scenes.
But what really fascinated me upon watching this film is that I found out how well of an Author Damien Chazelle is (A director that has the same motives and patterns in all his movies).
One of Chazelle's repeating patterns is his ambitious characters: Whiplash (2014) is about a young drummer who pushes himself to the limit because of his ambitions of becoming the best drummer ever.
First Man (2018) is about the life of Neil Armstrong and his journey to the moon.
Babylon (2022) (I mean heck, who isn't ambitious in that film? There is Nelly La Roy who wants to be an actress and Manny Torres who wants to make movies).
Now there's La La Land, where the two main characters are ambitious and want to succeed in what they love the most, Mia as an actress and Sebastian as a Musician. It's their ambitions that eventually drive them apart.
The story is wonderful and as I said earlier, it's a story that anyone can relate to. The one negative thing I have to say about the story is it's ending, it's predictable.
The whole story goes like this: two people try to succeed in their passions, they meet and fall in love, they break up, both end up succeeding in their goals but separately. And to end it all with a sad note, there is an entire sequence that shows a scenario of what could have been, a fantasy just like in the movies.
The ending where both characters end up successful yet separately seems predictable. I could have figured out the ending myself by not watching the movie, but I wished for something different, although having Mia and Sebastian together as a couple like in the fantasy sequence would also have been predictable, too good to be true.
So really I don't know myself how I would have ended the film, sure it is a fascinating story and one people can empathize with. But giving the realistic ending I feel a bit empty and not moved.
Aside of that, I enjoyed the movie and believe it deserved the academy award for best picture (giving the circumstances of the mix-up back in 2016) I highly recommend to watch this movie for those who want to study Damien Chazelle, and the way he writes ambitious characters. For those who want to relate and empathize with these kind of characters, you're going to have a wonderful experience.
I've been trying to look for something specific that attracted me to this film; for those who don't know, I'm not a fan of musicals. It's my least favorite genre and every time I watch one, I wish to enter the screen and hold the characters at gun point so they shut up and stop singing.
With all that being said; I did enjoy the overall tone of the movie, everything that surrounds it: from costume designs and set decoration, to lighting and visual colors, to the soundtrack and dance sequences. I think the dance scene between Mia and Sebastian in the middle night was one of my favorite scenes.
But what really fascinated me upon watching this film is that I found out how well of an Author Damien Chazelle is (A director that has the same motives and patterns in all his movies).
One of Chazelle's repeating patterns is his ambitious characters: Whiplash (2014) is about a young drummer who pushes himself to the limit because of his ambitions of becoming the best drummer ever.
First Man (2018) is about the life of Neil Armstrong and his journey to the moon.
Babylon (2022) (I mean heck, who isn't ambitious in that film? There is Nelly La Roy who wants to be an actress and Manny Torres who wants to make movies).
Now there's La La Land, where the two main characters are ambitious and want to succeed in what they love the most, Mia as an actress and Sebastian as a Musician. It's their ambitions that eventually drive them apart.
The story is wonderful and as I said earlier, it's a story that anyone can relate to. The one negative thing I have to say about the story is it's ending, it's predictable.
The whole story goes like this: two people try to succeed in their passions, they meet and fall in love, they break up, both end up succeeding in their goals but separately. And to end it all with a sad note, there is an entire sequence that shows a scenario of what could have been, a fantasy just like in the movies.
The ending where both characters end up successful yet separately seems predictable. I could have figured out the ending myself by not watching the movie, but I wished for something different, although having Mia and Sebastian together as a couple like in the fantasy sequence would also have been predictable, too good to be true.
So really I don't know myself how I would have ended the film, sure it is a fascinating story and one people can empathize with. But giving the realistic ending I feel a bit empty and not moved.
Aside of that, I enjoyed the movie and believe it deserved the academy award for best picture (giving the circumstances of the mix-up back in 2016) I highly recommend to watch this movie for those who want to study Damien Chazelle, and the way he writes ambitious characters. For those who want to relate and empathize with these kind of characters, you're going to have a wonderful experience.