La La Land is a 2016 American musical romantic comedy-drama, of a pianist and an actress who fall in love while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future.
If you haven't already fallen for this gauzy romp through the city of Angels at this point, you surely will during the last scene, with its bittersweet homage to the way times goes by.
Don't get me wrong, LA LA LAND is fun and cutesy, and made me leave the theater with a big, goofy smile on my face. But there's one distinct difference between good movie musicals and great movie musicals.
a bright, energetic, buzzy blast of show biz dreams and romantic fantasy, a classic story with a pair of beautiful and charismatic young stars... who meet cute, clash instantly, and dance their way to romance during a walk through the Hollywood Hills.
La La Land reflects the classic musicals just like Peter Jackson's The Hobbit reflects The Lord of the Rings: you can recognize the inspiration, but can't avoid thinking the originals were much better. [Full review in Portuguese.]
It asks what the characters of a Cinemascope musical would have to dream about, and answers with a finale that lifts the film to a higher plane of wish fulfillment and melancholy.
