A while ago a gentleman whose opinion I respect said he had given up on
La La Land (2016) after a half-hour, finding it too saccharine. That increased my skepticism. I feared I would have the same low opinion of it I have of two other modern Hollywood adaptations of musicals,
Rent (2005) and
Mamma Mia (2008).
La La Land, which I watched last night courtesy of Netflix, is an original story written for the big screen. I'm happy to report I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the opening number, which takes place on the freeway. The scenario has three levels: boy meets girl, trying to beat impossible odds and becoming a successful artist, and ode to Hollywood. There are many cliches, but they fit in a work such as this. Surprisingly, it leans toward old fashion except for a few cusses and an instance of giving the finger. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are terrific as the leads. They charm despite limited vocal and dancing ability. Incredibly, Gosling had never played the piano prior to his three-month training for the movie. According to two web sources, he performed all of what is seen on screen. Wow! The dialogue is lively, often amusing, at times poignant. Shot in cinemascope, the colors are vibrant and beautiful. I loved the ending, which I found realistic. Until the last half hour or so, the film did not rise above nice. Although details were left out, it was easy to fill in the blanks, given the character development. The songwriting is solid. I followed the close captioning closely. Kudos to Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who wrote the lyrics, and Justin Hurwitz, who composed the music. One doesn't have to be a struggling artist to relate to this couplet from
The Fools Who Dream: "Here's to the ones who dream, foolish as they may seem..." The ubiquitous J.K. Simmons lends support as a nightclub owner. And pop star John Legend has this wonderful bit of dialogue while confronting Gosling's uncompromising character, accusing him of killing jazz: "How are you going to be a revolutionary if you're such a traditionalist? You're holding onto the past, but jazz is about the future." The movie is not only an artistic success, it was a smash at the box office. Made on a budget of "only" $30 million, it returned more than $151 million in the USA alone. It runs a bit longer than two hours. 287,000+ users at IMDb have rated
La La Land, forging to a consensus of 8.2 on a scale of ten. I agree. Nominated for a boatload of Oscars, it won six. Stone won Best Actress. Damien Chazelle, who also wrote the screenplay, won Best Director. He followed his previous effort,
Whiplash (2014), also a film centered around music and the obsession with making it. Kudos, sir, and to everyone involved.
My thanks to the gentleman and lady who each bought a book in Russian, to the young woman who purchased
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, and to the two ladies and the local super who donated books. The best part of the day was learning from a traffic enforcement agent that as a merchant I don't have to feed the meter. I'd had no idea. I don't think it's fair to other drivers, but I'll take advantage of it. I'll also keep quarters handy - just in case.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj
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