Calling La La Land (2016) old-fashioned isn't a knock but a complement. Damien Chazelle's musical is a swoon-worthy throwback to classic Hollywood, with catchy tunes, pretty stars and striking photography. What's not to like?Mia Dolan (Emma Stone) is a barista by day and struggling actress by night. She repeatedly runs into Sebastian Wilder (Ryan Gosling), a jazz pianist who recently lost his job. The two strike up a relationship, with Sebastian encouraging Mia to be more ambitious in her career choices. Mia launches a one-woman show which leads to a steady gig, while Sebastian joins with Keith (John Legend), an ex-classmate fronting a jazz fusion band. Soon Mia and Sebastian find their ambitions interfering with their relationship.
Like all good musicals, La La Land wins audiences over immediately: the film starts with a bravura opening number ("Another Sunny Day") as Los Angeles' freeways come to life in exuberant song, dance and the promise of Hollywood. The exquisite choreography, snappy music and Linus Sandgren's swooping camerawork enthralls viewers while setting a high standard. Fortunately, Chazelle's affectionate rendering of the material matches it throughout, with set pieces as imaginative as they're engrossing.
At heart, La La Land is nothing less than an extended homage to classic musicals. Chazelle designs exquisitely detailed, gorgeously lit numbers that Vincente Minelli and Stanley Donen would die for. There's "A Lovely Night," an Astaire-and-Rogers number where Mia and Sebastian dare each other to fall in love while mimicking each other's steps before twilit Los Angeles. There are overt fantasies, like Sebastian and Mia ascending into the stars for a celestial ballet, that recall An American in Paris and Singin' in the Rain. While Chazelle wears his influences on his sleeve, the movie's never slavish: Sebastian and Keith's RNB number "Start a Fire" and Mia's heartfelt audition song ("The Fools Who Dream") are very much the film's own.
As the director of Whiplash, another examination of musical ambitions, Chazelle leavens the romanticism with welcome soupcons of reality. Neither Mia nor Sebastian is especially gifted, though their passion overcomes their limitations. Sebastian in particular struggles with his conflicting desires for success and artistic purity, with Keith calling out his antiquated views of jazz. When the protagonists clash and part, the effect is somewhat jarring against the musical numbers, yet feels real; this touch of human drama makes La La Land extra potent. The movie concludes on a bittersweet note, its protagonists finding that success and romance aren't always compatible.
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone have been a dream pairing since Crazy Stupid Love. Gosling, who's devoted his recent career to assaying tough antiheroes, reveals a welcome lighter side, while Stone's winning, committed performance scored her an Oscar. She grants Mia her customary toughness and wit, not a starry-eyed naif but a tough, ambitious woman with a dream. At worst, the two aren't Gene Kelly flawless in their song-and-dance numbers, but their chemistry and commitment makes up for a lot.
It's telling that most of the complaints about La La Land are sociocultural criticisms that seem to miss the point. Having two white leading actors isn't a sin limited to this movie, and Sebastian isn't the white dude saving jazz so much as an artist with a narrow vision. Moonlight deserved Best Picture, but La La Land is a delight. Both are wonderful in different ways, so why complain or compare?
