La La Land (2016)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

La La Land (2016) – D. Chazelle

Definitely evocative of the classic musicals of the 1950s (think Vincente Minnelli) – with a bittersweet flavour that wasn’t really present in the swinging comic 1930s (think Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers), Damien Chazelle’s third feature knows its history but doesn’t quite transcend it.  Instead, Chazelle plays within the rules of the genre (in which characters can break into song and dance at any given moment) and this has led to some accusations of sexism because the relationship between Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone) does evoke 1950s traditional gender roles (and expectations) despite the fact that the leads’ efforts toward developing careers in the entertainment industry (jazz pianist and actor, respectively) are given relatively equal attention.  Although the film opens audaciously with a big number on a highway overpass with a large cast of dancers and then quickly shows us a color-coded sequence featuring Emma Stone and her roommates, things then calm down a bit as Stone and Gosling begin their romance.  That’s not to say that Chazelle doesn’t have a great emotional touch or that his script doesn’t continually hit the right buttons for an homage of this sort, it just doesn’t stay at that high level of surprise/stunningness (nor should it, if the movie is to follow screenwriting 101 norms, which it does).  Gosling is fine, rather subdued and perhaps not much of a singer/dancer (though he taught himself piano for the role) but Stone is very charismatic (if somewhat unusual looking with such large eyes) and together they manage to make their relationship seem real enough with a trajectory that is more-or-less believable.  I say “more-or-less” because in a musical such as this, realism isn’t really necessary, nor even expected; Chazelle gives into the fantasy elements of his script but has the wisdom to underscore the implausibility with the same sort of sadness that you find in Demy’s Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964).  Again, the thrills found here are not a result of anything new but just a fine example of a master craftsman using the best materials to recreate something that was well-loved from the past (albeit with a new script, songs, and players).