Title Analysis By Damien Chazelle, Justin Hurwitz, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone TROY SAYS:
Near Perfect 9.0
"Wow!
PROs: Amazing dance choreography (by Mandy Moore). Genre-defining cinematography. Excellent execution across the board.
The singers are good, considering that they're primarily actors.
Music and songs that range from very good to insanely great.
"Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" ranks with the greatest songs ever written. It feels like a mix between "Rainbow Connection" and the best of Stephen Sondheim's material, which is saying a LOT!
CONs: Arguably 20 minutes longer than necessary, due to several sit-n-talk, lay-n-talk, walk-n-talk, and stand-n-talk scenes.
Despite the huge build-out, the story is essentially the small matter of two people and their haphazard careers and even more haphazard romantic relationship. They never find their reason for life in anything quintessentially noble or spiritual. In this regard, βLa La Landβ is morally and thematically equivalent to its modern silent-film sibling, "The Artist". As in Damien's equally excellent but lower budget Whiplash, the male protagonist is not the most lovable character, and he doesn't change much." GENIE SAYS:
Deeply Moving 9.0
βAmazing musical. Mostly clean. No sex. No violence. About 10 curse words, throughout the range, including βFβ and βGDβ.
The protagonists are typical, self-centered Los Angeles professional artists. They never break out into a life of great meaning, saving neglected children, for instance. Their purpose is limited to success in their fields of work, and the attempt at happy family relationships.β
