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| Sorry for the tears...It was just THAT good! |
The Heart:
I’m a fan of musicals but if you are one that says, “I hate
musicals” then surprise, you will be thoroughly entertained with La La
Land. Yes, there’s music, a lot of it,
BUT not every single spoken word is done musically. There’s a lot of dialog so you will not be
squirming in your seat for an hour and a half waiting for it to stop!
The Colors…ALL THE COLORS!!!! I am a sucker for bright and happy and it was
like OLD HOLLYWOOD and the early 60’s puked up all over 2016 and I LOVED
IT!
The actors…I enjoy the chemistry of Ryan Gosling (Sebastian)
and Emma Stone (Mia) and have always liked them as actors, but what pleased me
most is that they aren’t these over the top, dynamic singers. They can carry a tune, but it’s not some
forced, Broadway performance and I think that was brilliant. You just got lost in what was in the words of
the music. It was sweet and sad and
everywhere in between and exactly the way it was meant to be. Note, not to sell Gosling short (which
wouldn’t even be possible, wink wink, and cue the wolf whistle here) he has
amazing piano playing talent! No CG or hand doubles were required for filming,
it was all him…all his amazing, fabulous, handsome, beautiful…oops, got lost in
thought there, sorry!
The Feels... Oh the feels! Do you follow your dreams? Follow your heart? Can you have both? Without telling any part of the movie (I
don’t mind spoilers, but I don’t want to do that to you readers) you feel every
emotion of the characters and want it all for them. When we left the theater we
didn’t know to laugh or cry, we just wanted to go back in line, buy another
ticket and see it again.
La La Land
The Soul:
Have you ever had the feeling where your heart is lodged in
your throat, tears welling up in your eyes, and the ability to breathe without
gasping seems impossible? That’s exactly how I felt when I saw the words “The
End” show up at the screening of La La Land.
I haven’t had an experience do that to me in a long time, much less a movie.
But there it was, La La Land, in all of its projected glory. And I am going to try to explain
the reason I felt as I did, without giving away any spoilers. So prepare yourselves.
The movie began slow and steady for me. I was so excited to see it that the
first twenty minutes sort of blurred and my mind was twenty different places at
once.
I’d seen Ryan (Gosling) and Emma (Stone) work together
before, so I was expecting another A+ performance, but this blew my
expectations out of the water. I wasn’t just watching a story unfold, I was in
the story. They were telling MY story, and every other dreamer’s story. And I
don’t mean just the writers and the singers and the actors. They were telling
the dreamer’s forgotten story.
The music, the magic, it was ALL
there; the first look, the first ballad, the fingers intertwining in the dark
theater. This modern fairytale creates a sense of acceptance and what-if at the
same time. At one moment, I was
ready to get up and dance and the next moment I was crying, glancing at Misty
and wondering if she was doing the same thing. (and she was!)
Do yourself a favor and take time out of the busyness of the
day and go see this movie. Become a dreamer again, even if it’s just for a day.
Remember what it feels like to want to go after something you are completely
afraid of. Because someday, you might be inside of a jazz club, listening to
the piano softly play your dream anyway.
Gahhhh. I want to see it SO BAD!
ReplyDeleteIt is totally worth the 2hr viewing. Looks like you need to have a "me" day and go see it! :)
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