La La Land is a romantic/ dramatic film that Damien Chazelle has directed. The movie reached a total gross of $149,234, 184.
La La Land is about two people struggling to make a living while trying to achieve their dreams. Mia is struggling actress and Sebastian is a dedicated Jazz musician. The movie takes place in Los Angeles, California. Throughout the film, Mia and Sebastian both dislike each other, but as the story goes on… their once hateful relationship turns into a once – in – a – lifetime love. But it’s the choice of love or the spotlight that gets in the way.
La La Land had received a huge applause from their audiences, as well as very positive commentary. In spite of all this, during the 89th annual Oscars, La La Land had won an Oscar, as well as some of the cast and crew: Emma Stone for Best Actress, Damien Chazelle for Best Director, Justin Hurwitz for Best Original Music Score, Linus Sandgren for Best Cinematography, David and Sandy Reynolds- Wasco for Best Project Design.
When La La Land began shooting, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling weren’t actually the first actors Damien hired. Emma Watson (from Harry Potter) and Miles Teller (from Divergent) were originally casted for the two primary roles of Mia and Sebastian. Watson declined due to her tight schedule with Beauty and the Beast. As for Teller, his schedule of Allegiant (the sequel to Divergent) was shooting around the same time as La La Land. I feel that if Watson wasn’t so busy with Beauty and the Beast (B&B), she would have played a slightly better role of Mia than Emma Stone. But I don’t think that Stone played a horrible role of Mia, she was pretty good. I feel with Watson having more experience in the theatrical biz, she would have knocked the role of Mia.
Before I watched La La Land, I felt that Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone didn’t seem fit for a musical, but that was only because I had seen Emma Stone act in The Amazing Spider Man One and Two, and Easy A. As for Ryan Gosling, I had only seen him act in The Notebook. I also found it to be a little strange for them to be working together since they are supposed to fall in love. I thought before that they wouldn’t have any chemistry between them, but my views changed after watching the movie.
From where I have seen both actors perform, I hadn’t expected them to land roles in a musical. But after researching some more, I found out that Emma Stone actually performed on Broadway before. Seeing them act, dance, and sing was something new, and they did an excellent job.
My overall thoughts for the film are very positive. I really enjoyed the upbeat and lively music that was played in the film. My favorite song from the film is “Another Day of Sun.”
During the shooting for this song, the costumes on the dancers were consisted of vibrant colors. The dancing was lively and fun. Another Day of Sun makes me want to get up and dance! The soundtrack is absolutely amazing! But I don’t enjoy one song in particular, “City of Stars.” I personally feel that Emma Stone’s voice doesn’t collaborate well with Ryan Gosling’s singing. If they matched pitch, then the song would sound a little better.
Besides the colorful costumes and lively music, the story line is what caught my attention the most. The moral of the story is to teach us that no matter how hard you are struggling to achieve your dreams, you should never, ever give up on them.
