“Yes, La La Land has a major appeal for lovers of musicals, but if you are like me and don’t normally watch musicals, don’t dismiss it. It’s a fucking beautiful film.”

La La Land: 4.5 out of 5

La La Land was directed by Damien Chazelle, the writer/director of Whiplash. His first directing credit was for another musical, Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench. This guy clearly has a passion for music, Jazz in particular — all three of the movies he has directed feature a Jazz musician as the protagonist. Chazelle is a graduate of Harvard and the youngest person in the history of the Academy Awards to win Best Director — so it’s safe to say we are talking about a sharp guy here. He was also the screenwriter for 10 Cloverfield Lane, a very under appreciated and interesting movie from 2016.

It’s easy to dismiss La La Land as a nostalgic musical meant for your grandparents, but it’s too good to pass up no matter what your age or tastes are. It’s about a young couple in Hollywood dealing with the excitement of their new relationship and simultaneously navigating the ruthless entertainment industry as they struggle to find their place. The story, the acting, the music, it’s all worth the bill of admission alone, but it’s the visuals that stuck with me.

La La Land is about ambition, potential, compromise, and relationships. Each person has their own dreams about how the future of their life and their relationships will play out. However, disagreements about this future, unexpected opportunities or obstacles — the unpredictability of life in general — often force them to make difficult decisions about how much of their dreams they are willing to compromise to keep the other person around. What’s more important; your career or your relationships? How much you achieve or how much you love? This movie does a great job of forcing the audience to ask these types of questions.

Yes, La La Land has a major appeal for lovers of musicals, but if you are like me and don’t normally watch musicals, don’t dismiss it. It’s a fucking beautiful film.

@MattRomary