La La Land (2016)

[JustaPerson]

Considering how Emma Watson sounded in Beauty and the Beast, maybe a good thing she didn't star in this film. 

[DisneyBoy]

On 02/05/2017 at 12:43 AM, methodwriter85 said:

I absolutely hated the "what if" ending. Such bullshit. I enjoyed the movie overall but I absolutely hated the bullshit of "let's give them a fake happy ending." That felt incredibly pointless.

See, that was the only part of the movie that swept me up in the emotional stakes. I had trouble caring for either of these characters - who seemed likely to end up happy and successful - so their mutual unspoken pain over having failed to stay together was touching. I appreciated the whimsy of that staging - very much a throwback to other great movie musicals. And the sentiment was earned. Just annoyed I had to watch all the rest of it to get to that part.

The rest of the picture was a great big huge mixed bag. There was little consistency when it came to the fantasy sequences. When they went to the observatory, they lost me completely. Obviously, they didn't really get in so....why show us a five minute fantasy where they dance against CGI Stars while suspended by wires? Why have them look directly into the camera?! Were they really just sitting in the parking lot the whole time?

Earlier dance numbers felt like corny clips from My Crazy Ex Girlfriend (the one with the color coordinated roommates in particular). I really wasn't feeling any of the singing, honestly. And that opening, while impressively staged, was cheese-tastic and not in keeping with the tone of the rest of the film.

I'm stumped as to how this earned Ryan an Oscar. I didn't hate it, but....it's no classic in my eyes.

[Dejana]

4 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

 

I'm stumped as to how this earned Ryan an Oscar. I didn't hate it, but....it's no classic in my eyes.

He got nominated for Best Actor but lost the Oscar to Casey Affleck. They never releaese the vote totals but Denzel Washington was most likely second. Gosling did win the Golden Globe for Best Actor - Musical or Comedy. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association loves musicals and if there's one with decent (let alone good) reviews in a year, its stars will probably win their category, even over more acclaimed performances in a comedy. Gosling won out over Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool.

 

On a shallow note, I know Mia had basically given up by the time the audition came along, but she bothered to go, so did she have nothing else to wear besides that too-big sweater? It's the big dramatic moment for the character/actor and the look is so blah. I wouldn't mind that it's a different sort of outfit from her brightly colored dresses, if it looked good. Maybe it's an homage to some character in a 1960s French musical or something.

Edited August 12, 2018 by Dejana

[rmontro]

I just saw this.  Thought it was good, and refreshing.

Seems to me the main point of the movie was the way that they encouraged each other in their dreams and careers, rather than the love story.  Although that was there too.

Always good to see J.K. Simmons (just a cameo really).  I didn't realize this was by the same guy who had written Whiplash (another good movie), Damien Chazelle.