La La Land Takes On Multiple Genres - And Rocks Them All
La La Land
- Stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone
- In theaters December 16, 2016
- Rated PG-13
- Genre: Romantic-dramedy musical
With December comes many films that seem to have potential for Oscar nods, and La La Land is ready to join that pack.
The Damien Chazelle-directed musical is stunningly beautiful in more way than one. It's easy to forget that singing is not second nature for the starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling with how effortlessly they swing back and forth into musical numbers.
Mia (Stone) and Sebastian (Gosling) have a story that will truly stick with viewers - and may very well cause both laughter and tears - and somehow manages to create a world that beautifully combines an occasionally-harsh reality with a dreamy, fantastical universe.
With the chemistry between Stone and Gosling taking over the entire film, it's a welcome surprise to have appearances by actors who are able to stand their ground such as J.K. Simmons and John Legend.
There's an ever-present feel of nostalgia throughout, whether it's in the throwback songs that Gosling's characters is coerced into performing, the ever-present sound of jazz or Stone's swing skirts and fifties-inspired fashion.
The film does a masterful job of mashing genres together in a way that does not seem forced and creates both a story and a soundtrack that viewers will long to revisit.