koLa La Land starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, is a gorgeous swirl of colour and sound. It is a movie which is so unmistakably attractive, that it makes you feel that you are walking on air yourself. It is one of those rare movies that evokes a nostalgia of classic Hollywood musicles from fiftees and sixtees, while still reflecting an audacious and blazingly original vision. Not surprising, given that it is a brain child of the very talented writer director Damien Chazelle, who made a terrific debut with Viplash two years ago.
As it turns out both films could not be more dissimilar. Viplash was a thrilling and wounding drama that masterfully put a sting on a traditionally student mentor template. La La Land is like a soothing balm, that helps us get by, in cynical lives. It has an infectious energy and it grabs you from the moment with a spectacular all singing all dancing sequences, staged in a traffic jam on a Los Angeles freeway. You will have a big silly grin plastered on your face as you see passengers and the drivers do back flips the pavement and break into a song from the rooftops of their cars. Within moments, we are introduced to the protagonists.
Emma Stone is Miah, a waitress in a coffee shop in a studio lot. But in reality an aspiring actress enduring the repeated humiliations of futile auditions. Ryan Gosling is a Sebastian, a brooding pianist and jazz purist s who is reduced to performing show tunes and carrols at restaurants. Although he dreams of running his own nightclub. The film follows the protagonists as they meet, argue, flirt and fall in love. Their romance blossoms through disappointments and small victories and unfolds at a breathtaking fairy tale version of Los Angeles. This movie is like a love letter to the city of angels and we get beautiful moments which shakes our hearts. Like an impromptu singing in rain, while searching for their cars in Hollywood hills with addition to flight to the stars. Gosling and Stone have excellent chemistry together and they have incredible singing and dancing skills.
There are plenty of straightforward dramatic scenes, especially in the second half where their relationship hits rocky waters. It is in these portions when the movie tends to drag. But this is a minor issue in an enchanting and wonderful flick that restores the audience’s faith in the power of cinema. Stunning both to look at and charming too, this film makes you laugh, weep and bring out your dancing shoes when the characters dance. Do not miss watching this movie at any cost!
