La La Land

"La La Land" is a throwback to films of yesteryear. Carefree, musically absurd, joyful, and most importantly, inspiring. It's been called a love letter to Hollywood, but I would dare say it's more of a seduction. Laid on thick, it feeds the ego-maniacal Hollywood beast with brilliant sequences of glitz and glamour with famous landmarks getting cameos all along the way. Two attractive, young leads doesn't hurt this portrayal of cinematic beauty.

Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) reignite the chemistry that was started in 2011's "Crazy, Stupid, Love". Her big doe eyes, and his "couldn't care less" affect make them the perfect pairing for a film taking us back to the golden age of Hollywood. But it's set in the present, so don't get too caught up in nostalgia. They effortlessly make it look easy and breezy. She is an aspiring actress who has been beaten down by failure. He's a jazz pianist with a dream, but he's reluctant to sell out to get what he needs. They form an immediate bond that is punctuated by various interpretive rounds of song and dance, and at the end, they send out good-looking smoldering vibes to the audience, and it works.

Damien Chazelle's sophomore effort suffers no slump in the slightest. His 2014 gem, "Whiplash" was on top of my personal list for Best Picture, but was ultimately beaten out by "Birdman" for the big prize. Emma Stone gained her first Oscar nomination for her performance in "Birdman" and is a sure thing for a nomination this year, although I think it's entirely possible that she wins a statue if she pulls of the Golden Globe. The direction is outstanding and the thing about the film that stood out most to me. There is clearly some art imitating life with the jazz theme after "Whiplash", and it is very cool. He clearly models Gosling's Sebastian after some sort of fantastical incarnation of himself, but I get it. Ryan Gosling is pretty dapper.

Make no mistake. The real star of the show is Tinseltown herself. She gets the film's titular role, and shows it off proudly. She exposes the realities of the busy bodies behind the ostentation. The night life for artists looking to meet someone who can help them move up the ladder. The debasing day jobs worked to fuel nothing more than the dream of a better tomorrow. You can see that the film has even made me a bit whimsical. there is something nostalgic about the setting. Everyone who's seen a movie in their life has been there, even if they haven't physically set foot on the Walk of Fame or witnessed a film premiere at Grumman's Chinese Theatre. Even if they haven't taken a stroll down the Sunset Strip and looked up at the Chateau Marmont and wondered who might be staying there right that instant.

The irony is that Chazelle will likely win Best Picture for a film that is more publicized, star-studded, and buzzed about than the film that should win ("Manchester by the Sea"). At least Chazelle deserves it, as did Inarritu back in 2014. It goes to show that Hollywood is one narcissistic vixen. A film that romanticizes her charms and devilish guile is sure to find a soft spot in the Academy's armor. Not too serious, lots of well-choreographed original song and dance numbers, romance mixed with a dash of realism and humor? I think he may have struck gold.

"La La Land" is something different when lined up beside the biopics, adapted screenplays, and big budget formulaic fare. It stands out as the film that might find a home with many different audiences, and will likely strike chords close to the hearts of those who make awards decisions. For me, it wasn't the best film of the year, but it was superbly entertaining, and absolutely top five. 8/10.