La La Land: what did you think?

"Mia, an aspiring actress, serves lattes to movie stars in between auditions and Sebastian, a jazz musician, scrapes by playing cocktail party gigs in dingy bars, but as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart."

Eirini 2016 Online at: IMDb

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in La La Land (Dale Robinette, Lionsgate). Online at: LA times 

So a film about aspiring artists, getting knock back after knock back but still trying to pursue their dreams.  Story of our lives right? There was so much talk about this film at work and in the media with its endless nominations that I had to go and see it. I actually went  to watch it on my birthday; dragging my boyfriend, brother and parents along (musicals aren't really their thing unless I'm in something!) 

"It's amazing!" 

"Meg, you'll love it!"

Well I came out thinking it was pretty long for starters, but not really knowing how I felt about it. I mean, I completely admire Emma Stone who plays Mia as an actress and I liked the concept of the movie. I suppose the songs were relatively catchy, something I feel is imperative for a successful musical. However, I just expected more I guess?

For me, the modern day setting with the traditional movie subtitles didn't really work. If they're trying to capture today's generation with song and dance then I think they should've been consistent in keeping it modern. I imagine the flying scene was for comedy value but it just felt a little tacky. 

As a dancer, I was hugely disappointed in the 'big' numbers and the skill set of Emma and Ryan. I just felt it lacked anything spectacular and was really quite basic. Due to the simplicity, I believe it should have at least been executed beautifully but the lines and the clarity of steps were average. I'm sure you'll hear a lot of performers in our industry saying how the film makers could have easily found amazing 'triple threats' for the roles but I do understand that nowadays, these well known names are required to draw in audiences. It's the same in my practice and in many musical theatre productions. If we want to keep the industry alive and people interested in musicals, celebrity names help to attract media, speculation and the general paying public. 

I asked myself the purpose of this movie. Is it a love story first and foremost? Is it to get musicals back out there? To inspire today's generation to dance and sing? If the answer to all these questions are yes, which I believe they are, then on reflection it's not a bad movie and I actually feel it's great for our industry as a whole. To have a musical receive so many oscar nominations and draw so much attention is phenomenal and can only be a good thing!

I would love to discuss and hear other people's opinions on this movie!

Watching this movie got a colleague and I chatting about old school musicals like 'Singing in the Rain' and the greats that are Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. We spoke about how incredible they were at all 3 disciplines and maybe that is why I expected so much from 'La La Land', because I'm comparing it to the sheer talent I was inspired by and grew up with. Unfortunately, with the ever advancing technology and such strong impact of media, I think our generation perhaps expect so much from a movie in regards to special effects and celebrity names. Here's a little clip of Fred and Ginger for you to enjoy. Appreciate the simplicity of the setting and the raw talent, as well as live musicians. Now that's what I call amazing....