Review of La La Land (2016) by Christina B — 09 Jan 2018

I watched this film because the same lyricists that created the hits in "The Greatest Showman" wrote songs for "La La Land". Unfortunately, it was a huge let down and certainly not worth the Oscar hype and adoration from critics.

From the very first number, it's clear that the choreography is subpar. I expected more from professional dancers, and the numbers with Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are even more disappointing. "La La Land" is clearly trying to recapture some of the magic from old Hollywood, but if you were to compare some of the incredible tap numbers of the past to the little number Stone and Gosling did while overlooking L.A., it simply falls flat.

The singing was also not quite up to snuff, ranging from "not good" to "okay". The songs were, regrettably, very forgettable.

Emma Stone is a darling, and her quirkiness is always much appreciated. Ryan Gosling's character was also had his quirks, but he came of as weird and not charming. Stone also out-acted Gosling. Watch the emotional range on her face during the dinner fight argument and compare it to Gosling.

On top of the musical aspect of the film being a disappointment, it's quite boring. Scenes dragged on, and some of the dialogue was compiled of ramblings. There's a rush of excitement at the end in a musical montage of "what ifs", but it's far too late by then.