A Movie Destined For Greatness?

Fittingly enough, this title is also perfect.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

First of all...

I don't really love musicals and really I just thought hey, this is on, let me watch this.

So I went in with a really low bar. Now should it affect the total outcome of this movie.... Well, yes and no.

Yes, because that's really something when you're biased or skewed to something more than another genre.

And no, because, well really a movie has to both pull you in and prove to someone that it belongs.

The function of a film

La La Land may not be perfect but it sure as hell does show the rawness and everything that mirrors a life, and a livelihood.

La La Land is more of that broadway musical that got a movie greenlight. And instead of being that bouncy, noisy musical that kinda redirects you every chance I get, like, I kinda get tired of those movies, it is silent and really poignant and the music actually serves a purpose as well as some of a plot point.

Now, the music is obviously awesome and I'll talk about that later, the real function of the movie is as above, the mirroring of a life, and livelihood, whether it be bad or good. Really, this movie encapsulates the romantic side and the romanticism of everything when you're in love.

It also shows us, that skepticism is a grain of salt we can take but we need to keep it in check as well. And when you feel the characters are human, we relate to it more.

And I guess that's what's most I applaud about this movie is that it was an underdog for me but it really won me over. Begging the question is it because I've just matured and just like this more. But honestly, the movie is really just something that moves through you and all of it has to go to the direction and the musical score.

The direction and the musical score

Listen, this director 100% without a doubt loves jazz. I remember him talking about it in the Whiplash commentary and it really shows in this movie, he knows how to pick the tune, he knows how to show the accompaniment scene and it's just wonderful.

As shown below;

An example of the sweeping musical score

Now obviously, you could just do the dance and that would be the end of the scene, you wouldn't have needed the song, you wouldn't have needed the harness.

But the brilliance is it's direction, the director knows why he wants the music, he wants the audience to say, hey, it makes sense there's music, it is a planetarium after all, you know there may be some elevator music, or some funky smooth music. But the harnesses? Surely that's not needed.

But it is needed. Remember this scene is continuing from the earlier scene from when they were at the cinema and moved into the planetarium and really, the harnesses show, that they are experiencing that romanticism. Something so special between their chemistry that they feel like their floating on air.

I mean I was in awe of that moment, and I really was with my mouth agape. But of course that's not the end of it.

The perfection of that scene was only topped by the ending scene.

And obviously, the song "City Of Stars" deservedly deserves the best song winner and nomination because I certainly am still humming it, and it obviously is the foreshadow in the first scene it was shown in, with Emma Stone and him, being bubbly and drunkenly in love. But it surely is not for the weak hearted so yeah...

What about the ending?

The ending usually, and most admittedly, half of the time, would split a fandom down the middle.

For some it was not good, and shown in a bad light because this was supposed to be romanticized and we expected a happy ending.

For me I was pleasantly surprised.

Don't get me wrong, the ending came too quick, but I liked the fake out. Because it did look like they were going for that she was still in a play because there was a scene with the billboard with the title Eleanor and therefore, might have been the play of that, because they showed us with another guy that's not Ryan Gosling's character, so, we thought that was a fake out, but once we get deeper into it, we realize more and more that it's real.

So it really did blur the lines.

And I really love it for that.

"City Of Stars" is not just a song, it's an anthem. And a validation for this movie's title.

Because of the sequence leading it up, to the ending, it really did show Sebastian's(played by Ryan Gosling) regret and his wishful thinking of a possibility that they could have been together and that's kind of the cheesy thing about it but, it's also something real.

I can't tell you the last time I ever applauded a good movie, maybe when I was a kid, watching Lion King. I don't really remember.

But when that audience clapped, you bet your bottom dollar I clapped too.

I literally did standing ovation just like this:

Overall?

I gave it an 8/10. It really deserved it.

And ain't no wishful thinking 'bout that.