ATF : 'La La Land' (2016)

First of all i have to admit that i don't like musicals. I really don't. And i respect anyone who does and yeah 'Singing in the Rain' is a classic but i just don't love it as everyone else. Of course i like some movies that could be loosely described as a musical like 'Moulin Rouge' or 'Grease' but that's only because the music is more modern and catchy and it's not the typical Broadway show. So i went to watch 'La La Land' with no expectations despite having won everything at the Golden Globes and... i actually liked it.

Damien Chazelle's second film (his debut movie was the amazing 'Whiplash') is practically an homage to every classic Broadway musical, beginning with an opening scene that it's a joy for any musical fan. Obviously, i didn't enjoy that scene that much but i have to admit that the greatness of the movie is that it plays with the nostalgia of all those old Hollywood classics and it really feels like one of them. And despite all of that, i could enjoy it because it narrates a charming story of a romance between Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, who have undeniable chemistry, and the musical numbers are not really often. That, and the stellar performance of Emma Stone as an inspiring actress are they keys of the success of the movie. Gosling is also great, he's always correct and accurate in his performances but Stone is the one who steals the show. Without being a big fan of her she delivers here a terrific performance and her singing is also beautiful, so it doesn't surprise me when she gets awarded for it. But the thing that competely convinced me about the film are the last 10 minutes of the movie. It might sound off but the story wouldn't be as perfect and beautiful without that final scene.

(Spoilers!)
The ending really touched me to the core. When Mia (Stone) enters Seb's bar (Gosling) without knowing that he really fulfilled his dream of opening his own jazz bar, and when he's about to play the piano and sees her in the audience with her husband... that scene was electric and emotional. Because then, he starts playing their song and remembering the exact moment she listened to it and instead of replaying what happened in their heads, they imagine what would have happened if they did things right. If instead of ignoring her that first time and walking out the bar after getting fired, he would have grabbed her by the waist and give her a kiss that it's what he should had done. And thinking how would had been their relationship if they continued as in the beginning, with that excitement and love, and not take the job as a piano player in that band that pushed him far away from her and his dream. And also how if he did all that right, he would be now sitting beside her, being her husband and having everything they once dreamed of achieving together, and that's so heartbreaking and so relatable that it broke my heart. I just cried my eyes out during all that scene because it's a feeling we've all have had when we have loved someone and the relationship didn't go as we expected and we replay in our heads what would have happened if we did things differently. It's inevitable to think about that when you have loved someone and that's why this end of the story made up for everything else in the movie. And it's not that only those last minutes are good, it is just that it gives the whole a story a perfect ending in a movie that is full of fantasy and songs, but with an ending as real as life itself.

After watching it i understand all the praise and awards 'La La Land' is getting because they are well deserved, and if i think that without being myself a musical lover, i can imagine how marvellous it must be for someone who is. After the cut i'm posting some beautiful stills of the movie as usual, enjoy them as i'm sure you would if you've seen the movie.